Reclaiming The Lunar Throne
by MLPPP217
Summary: Equestria is changing and a new age is coming thanks to prosperity and harmony which have reigned supreme for hundreds of years. However this new age will fall by the choices you make Captain and you'd better pick well or Equestria will fall spectacularly.
1. Debt

**Debt**

_"Captain Backwater, open this damned door now!" shouted a very angry voice from behind the window framed door which read P.I Backwater with a few spelling mistakes and shoddily painted letters. I stirred slightly but just brushed the voice off and wanting to go back to my drunken sleep I picked up a nearby missile, which was a Goldman Cider bottle and threw it at the door._

_Since I was experiencing a fairly bad hangover and had just been roused I missed the door and instead hit a hanging photo of me and my wife on the wall next to the door. The glass in the frame of the picture broke and the photo fell off the wall and with a loud smash the frame was destroyed completely._

_"Backwater you know the deal now this is my final demand or by Celestia we will break this door down and take your kidneys!" yelled the angry voice from the other side of the door which was being hammered on with a huge amount of force now._

_"Backwater get the buck up now!" shouted the voice one more time before the world spiralled into a never-ending purple smoke swirl and I cracked my eyes open slowly._

I was waking up in reality now and I knew that because the hangover I'd had in the dream was now fifty times worse. I quickly moved my hooves over the desk until I found what I was looking for. Popping in some head soother pills I coughed and rubbed my scratchy throat as a small knock alerted me to a guest by the door.

I looked around the disgusting one room apartment with its boarded up windows and peeling wallpaper. Cockroaches controlled the corners whilst the bathroom had been seized by maggots and flies that were constantly under attack by a thriving ants nest in the ventilation system.

Different branded cider bottles lay strewn around all parts of the room but were concentrated heavily in the centre which had the desk I was sitting at with all my papers and other worthless possessions in my pathetic life.

The little knock was slightly louder this time but I heard it quite clearly now that I was up. I grabbed my ceremonial dagger from the desk and staggered over to the door until I was right up against it with the knife half-heartedly poised to kill anypony who had a grudge against me.

"Who is it and what do you want" I coughed out, afterwards exploding into a fit of hacks and coughs most likely due to the foul ventilation. "Sorry but is this residence of P.I Backwater or have I got the wrong apartment number" said an awfully posh sounding mare's voice.

I put the Phonograph which was on the floor on a table and opened the door for the lady. She was about my age and dressed in a pure white dress and like me she looked depressed at getting old and although forty for most was a blessing and not actually old for mare's and stallions with a line of work like mine it was a time for mourning the good life.

She however looked to be taking it better than me, actually she brought the smell of freshness into my hole of a home which made me feel sick since I was used to the high toxic levels of the apartment. She however was equally disgusted with the smells my apartment had and held a handkerchief to her mouth as if it would defend her from a pack of jackals of something.

"Sorry about the smell miss but, cleaning bills are too high nowadays right?" I said trying to make pleasant conversation. She smiled but didn't reply, simply putting her handkerchief away and sitting upright in the chair on the other side of the desk, which was also my bed. I went over to the broken backed chair I'd slept in and sat with a straight back (which is a challenge for a pony) and looked over at her in a very business fashion despite my untidy brown mane, unshaven face and dishevelled suit and what smelt like vomit coming from my pure white and slightly dirty coat of fur.

"I've heard from many that you were in the Royal Guard Backwater" began the mare but I interrupted her sharply stating "Yes I served since I was seventeen until I was thirty-nine". "Ah and how old are you now" she asked a bit too curiously. "I'm…I'm forty-one" I said between deep breaths, I really needed a drink.

She looked at me with a sad expression and quickly began an attack which I wasn't ready for. "So you now sit here and drink yourself to death because younger ponies look better in their Uniforms"?! I could have been angry but instead I was just bored, so many had tried to do this but I was so use to this I simply mumbled "You either want my services or not, you can't just come into my home and accuse me so if you don't need my help then hop it but if you actually need help then state your job and give me half my fee in advance".

She leaned forwards and locked her pale blue eyes with my hard brown and plain ones. A staring competition was initiated and we both weren't eager to back down. Although she was a lady through and through she had a glint in her eye which I didn't like very much. Our staring competition ended when she threw a brown file onto my lap. I broke eye contact and opened the file. I gasped at what I saw before myself. These were Royal Documents of the highest level; it even had Celestia's personal seal.

"Where did you get these?" I asked in shock, reaching into my desks draw to get another bottle of cider which I desperately needed. "Let's just say that the Royal Guard has dropped the ball in recent years and now its child play to get past their security".

I looked at her and then back at the documents and began to read through the top one carefully. It read:

**Security Level 9 Clearance**

**This Document may only be viewed by a member belonging to the Royal Family under punishment of Quantum Displacement.**

**Prisoner Clearwater was born during the time of the three tribes to a unicorn family and served in the guard to after the three tribes united under the banner of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. An incredibly talented Unicorn, was taken for training by Starswirl the Bearded (see file 2980) that believed her to be able to take up his mantle upon his approaching death.**

**Prisoner Clearwater however couldn't wait for Starswirl's death so took the matter into her own hands using a destructive spell to blow a hole in the back of Starswirl however being seen by a servant outside compromised this evil prisoner and led to her incarceration using a time spell and then sealing her deep inside the castle of _ located in the Everfree Forest.**

**Prisoner should be treated with utmost caution, still known to give off magical resonance and potential to break out of prison. If magical disturbance in area of time spell may cause deterioration or complete Prisoner displacement of this dimension.**

**DO NOT REMOVE THIS FILE FROM THE ROYAL ARCHIVE SAFE ROOM**

I looked up at the mare who was staring aimlessly around the room as if she wasn't showing me a top secret document which would give us all life in Stalliongrad Prison and completely erase our existence from society.

"I'm guessing that you had to crack a few vaults to get access to these" I remarked as I flicked through a few more pages in the file. "As I said before Backwater, the Royal Guard and in fact Celestia are all trapped in the delusion that this Empire is a nice little bundle of joy which doesn't have high crime or hate but you and I know the difference" the mare said with almost a sorry look on her face.

"I don't get what you want me to do though, I mean I wouldn't know where to begin investigating anything that happened a thousand years ago and if I did try it would require me to break the law which Is something I usually refrain from doing" I told her sternly, taking a few gulps from a nearby bottle of cider.

"Well you see now Mr Backwater, I haven't even told you what I would like you to do yet so I think it's fair that you hear me out about this" she said in a very commanding tone. "I understand you are heavily in debt to many rich ponies and thugs all across Manehattan and so if you do the job I need you to do I will not only pay every single debt off but I'll give you enough money to buy millions of bottles of cider so you can drink yourself to your heart's desire".

I looked up at her, listening carefully to her offer. Frankly I didn't care much if the debts weren't paid all that would happen was the repossession of my apartment and in the cases of the cities criminals who I owed money to probably a trip into the sewers.

However more cider meant less pain so I quickly asked "Ok what do you need me to find"? "Not what Mr Backwater… but who" answered the mare. "You see Clearwater is in my opinion a pony who if given the right instruction can be pushed to do great things, almost like toppling an Empire or perhaps strengthening it in a way that nopony could ever again threaten it which is why you are going to go a free her from her prison and in doing so free yourself of all your debt" explained the mare who I now believed to be one of the ponies I owed bits too having a laugh.

"You cannot be serious" I began, "For a start by just reading five minutes through this file it says she is criminally insane and a powerful magic user the like of which nopony should mess with and on top of all that I'm a detective… that means I investigate things, take a few photos, sneak around and write a report on it at the end of the day for some stallion who thinks their mare has a lover not a bloody mercenary sword for hire, besides I'm an Earth Pony how can I break a magical barrier!" I finished with my hoof pounding the table.

"I see… well I have something that might make you change your mind Backwater" said the mare rather coolly, taking a brush and combing her pristine hair. "Well if it's all the cider in the world no sale" I answered, putting my head in my hooves as I tried to make the pounding headache which had started go away.

"You do realise that this girl here had the power of life and death itself" said the mare. "So what" I said looking up. "Well maybe I didn't explain well enough, it means she can reach into the underworld and pluck ponies like your wife from its stony halls and pull them into this world" explained the mare quite smugly, knowing it would get my attention.

I shot up like a bolt from a crossbow and looked at her with my sleep depraved eyes ferociously. "Who told you about my wife" I said dangerously. The mare didn't look so threatened and responded "Oh nobody, but I'm telling you now that it would be like nothing ever happened, you could go back to the way things used to be… well minus the fact that you wouldn't be in the Royal Guard of course but think about it, you'd be rich and have your wife back" she explained knowing that the next question she asked would win me over.

"Don't you want to live again"? I thought about this for a minute, staring into nothing. I looked around the poor and wretched, bottle covered and insect infested room and answered "yes". "Well then read the file I gave you and bring the girl to the Celestia Tower in five days at midnight and everything will be fixed" she said getting up from her seat.

"How do I know you'll keep your word and that the girl won't just kill me when I free her?" I asked with many other doubts besides the ones I'd just pointed out present in my mind. "Trust in faith Mr Backwater, maybe you'll find it is more rewarding than you have been led to believe" said the mare trotting over to the door and exiting it without another word.

I sat there and stared as her blurred figure through the window frame on my door with the peeling letters and thought I saw it flicker for just a moment before the mare whose name I hadn't even been given left and with her carried the hopes of my return to normal life.

The file wasn't large so I picked up a saddle bag with a picture of a tree being blown greatly by the winds and put the file into it. Next I put a bottle of cider in the saddlebag since it was a long way to the castle in the Everfree forest.

I got out a map from my desk and folded it into it as well along with a book on magic which I'd never read before or thought important. Then I headed to the corner of the room and after chasing away the cockroaches I reached under my mattress and got out a beautiful, jewel encrusted short sword with a refined sharp diamond edge and a small black case containing a clever little gadget I'd been given from the weapon smith at Canterlot before I'd been discharged.

Next I quickly rummaged around and found a bottle of old looking water and taking a breath I poured it all over me and combed my mane a bit before dressing in a new suit and donning a hat which I only wore because I wasn't allowed to wear a war helmet anymore.

Packing all my stuff in to my saddlebag, I thought that this was probably the best time to leave since I wasn't drunk and headed out the door and down the stairs of the grotty block. Hitting the busy streets I hailed a cab which was pulled by a scrawny tired looking stallion.

I looked at my map and up at him. He asked "Where to buddy"? I climbed into the cab's back and responded the train station, and from there to Ponyville". He nodded and the taxi took off towards what i expected to be an easy job...

**Big Thank You to The Awes0me 0ne for editing!**


	2. Traveling

**Travelling**

_"I do so hope that there won't be any more problems with the recruitment of the Guard Captain Steel" said Princess Celestia as she walked along the battlements of her fortress with Captain Steel my Commanding Officer._

_"Oh no Princess the last batch were simply a little bit too rough for their own good, they didn't mean to take all the kitchen staff and interrogate them for answers like common thieves, the next lot will be different more refined and full of enthusiasm to serve" apologised the Captain in a way I thought was most grovelling for the thirty year old._

_He was the typical guard with a white coat and most likely bluish dyed hair like mine. There was something about all Guards looking exactly the same they said that was supposed to instil unity but I thought it was stupid since our armour and vows united us all as one anyway._

_"You forgot Protect" I blurted out without knowing that my mouth had actually moved at all. The ensemble of guards and the Captain and Princess turned round and looked at my confused face. The others despite the same training we'd all received had shocked expressions on their faces and the Captain was turning a rather angry shade of red. Celestia on the other hoof was looking quite intrigued but I couldn't react to her expression because the Captain chose this as a time to explode in fiery amount of anger._

_"Sargent what in the name of Celestia do you think you are doing, you have broken your rank and simply shared your opinion with your ruler you in fact make me sick I shall have you flogged and discharged I'll" but he was interrupted in his onslaught of pleasant thoughts by none other than Celestia._

_She was a fair ruler who I supported completely and would die for without a doubt but now that her eyes fell upon me I felt a slight dread. Her darkened rainbow mane flowed like a river despite the fact that there was no wind and standing a few feet above me she asked whilst staring completely at me "What is the name of this one Captain"?._

_The Captain who still looked like he wanted to gut me now had a very smug look on his face and replied "Backwater, Sargent Backwater my Princess". She continued to look me over for several more moments before she commanded in a very cheery tone "Not anymore"._

_My face fell grim, the Captain looked at me with an expression still somewhat of anger but this time mixed with elation. However Celestia hadn't finished and my head rose from its stoop when she said "He is now lieutenant Backwater of the Royal Guard" before she continued her stroll along the battlements followed by the rest of her guards and me._

_Although bewildered I still held pace with the others and said "Thank you my Princess". She didn't say anything this time and only smiled, leaving the Captain who was staring into thin air a few steps back with a puzzled expression which I would laugh at later in my own chambers when I had stopped polishing my lieutenant helmet._

"Sir we've arrived in Ponyville" came the squeaky voice of the ticket master. I opened my eyes and pushed the blanket I'd wrapped around myself off of me. I handed over my ticket and he punched it and waddled off to annoy somepony else.

I'd once been to Ponyville when the Princess had cut the ribbon of the Town Hall or something like that. I supposed she could do it for this small town since it was only a two hour train ride away and even better a forty minute fly away for the Princess.

There was nothing special that I could specifically remember about the town, except for the fact that it had really good apples or something and sold nice cakes made by a very you and thin blue mare and her husband who had wanted to join the guard but had flat hooves or something.

I strapped my saddle bag to my back and made sure I could easily reach the sword if I had to. Although I could have sheathed it on my back I didn't really want to become an attention attracter so I'd decided I'd wait until I got to the Everfree to show it off.

The train slowed and came to a halt at the station of Ponyville which by the looks of it hadn't changed in twenty years. I stepped off the train and fixed my suit and hat. I had always hated not wearing armour since it was like a second stronger layer of hide which could also command authority and stop swords for chopping you in two.

The conductor began to open all the doors and when the one closest to me opened I hopped out. I had read the file of the mare Clearwater I was supposed to free and return on the way and was intrigued by how she had killed Starswirl who was some famous old magician.

The file said that almost all Unicorns could levitate things but very few new magic in another field beyond that. Most specialised in healing and other interesting spells like elemental magical control or protective casting but a select few a thousand years ago were chosen by Starswirl to learn each and every field in full detail.

Clearwater had excelled in all these fields and become the star pupil of Starswirl but she had always been best at destructive spells. The way in which Starswirl had died was as I'd read first a destructive spell through the back and out through the chest but the spell in particular was said to have contained the power of a thousand suns, enough to melt steel and much more durable metals.

Part of me thought that I was crazy to be doing this but I kept reminding myself what was at stake here and the possibilities if I succeeded and carried on in my mission. "Watch it buddy" said some pony as I bashed into them thanks to my side tracked thinking.

I looked back and saw the stallion I'd almost knocked over carrying a few planks of wood. I looked all around the train station and saw ponies decorating the place with banners, colourful sashes and other decorations bearing the sun. Also I noticed that the Royal Flag was flying above every house which kind of made me suspect that something was up.

However as I walked into the main square, through the bustling ponies I almost had a heart attack when I saw a Royal Chariot pulled by two Pegasus Royal Guards land only a few feet away. At first I thought that this was all just a set up to make my life even more miserable but I was surprised when I saw a young purple mare step out of the chariot along with a tiny baby purple dragon.

She thanked the Guards and began strolling through the town, holding herself in a very Canterlot way. I knew this mare she was still a filly when I had been dis-charged from the Guard, I believed she was Princess Celestia's personal student, actually the day she had been accepted as her personal student I recall a dragons head breaking through the roof of Canterlot castle.

She must be a strong magic user, but I doubted by all the banners that she was here to arrest me or do anything about me. I went over to a nearby apple vender which looked to be packing up shop and asked "Excuse me miss but what are all the banners for"?

She was an Earth Pony with an orange coat and a blonde mane with a cowboy hat on her head. "You been living in a daydream sugercube, The Summer Sun Celebration is tomorrow" she told me which sent my head into a spin since I didn't know what The Summer Sun Celebration was.

The mare seemed to realize this and explained "It's celebrating the raising of the sun by our ruler Princess Celestia". I nodded my head and mumbled thank you, tipping my hat and trotting off. I couldn't see the Everfree forest yet but I heard it was closest to the town's library so after getting some much needed directions I headed off.

Ponies really took the fact that Celestia was going to grace them with her presence seriously but I just felt bile in my throat every time I thought about the pretty little Universe that Celestia maintained in her image and the image of the Empire.

It was true for ponies that lived in these villages and the upper and middle class in the cities that maybe the world was peaceful and full of joy. However I'd been to the slums of Stalliongrad, walked through the prostitute lower streets of Las Pegasus and gambled in the shoddiest thug hide outs of Manehatten and I knew that if their stories ever got out and published then everything would be revealed.

I had actually met journalists wanting my help to expose the truth but they could never fully get the secret out since they were always paid off or went missing. I just tried to keep out of the whole political balance and drink my sorrows away.

I arrived at the library on the outskirts of the town and saw the track to the Everfree forest dead ahead. I started forwards but was stopped by a tap on the back. I turned round and impatiently asked "What"?

I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw the purple Unicorn was standing there and smiling brightly. "Sorry but didn't you used to work up in Canterlot?" she asked me. "Uh…" was all I could get out before she apologised "Oh I'm sorry but my name is Twilight Sparkle, I'm just over here from Canterlot to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Festival".

Sparkle, I'd heard that name before, yes this was the sister of the damn Pony who'd replaced me. "Oh yes Miss Sparkle I remember you, I imagine your brother hasn't been replaced for incompetence yet or maybe he's been promoted away from the Captain of the guard maybe now he's no longer the court idiot but joined your family and the rest of Canterlot in the Pompous Snobs which you all are" I said furiously storming away.

Twilight was shocked to say the least and it looked like she was going to come after me but something behind her caught her attention. Maybe once I would have been a lot nicer but I ran out of niceness years ago.

I walked right past a few other small building right to the outskirts of the Everfree all the time now thinking on how to break a magical charm and if the prison was still guarded or had been abandoned. More to the point where was this no name castle. It wasn't on my map so I was left to follow the wining and slightly overgrown path of the Everfree forest.

However I had heard the stories of the Everfree and how its creatures could rip ponies to shreds or turn ponies to stone and I wasn't about to go any further without strapping my sword to my back. I also got the case I had packed out and opened it to reveal a small crossbow with fifteen small almost like darts for killing and fifteen sleeper bolts which were a little more realistic for taking down Royal Guards.

Satisfied that I was all geared up I began down the forest track. The forest was ancient and wove many stories but it was very dark and held nothing but primal instinct inside it. It made me uneasy as it did al ponies, instilling a fear that made everypony want to run but it was almost child play for me to ignore these fears and focus on my task.

Bring the girl to Celestia tower in about four days, wipe away the debt and get my wife back it was as simple as that…or was it. So I made my way forwards, checking for danger and any problems as I went. I passed by a cliff face and looked down to see the path below meaning I could either walk down and take longer or climb down.

I chose the second option seeing that it would take forever to walk down. I began my decent but almost slipped when the top of the cliff gave way a little and became unstable. I quickly climbed on down and made my way through a small valley until I came to a little bit of a problem.

Well little was an understatement since it was a gigantic Manticore with the body of a lion the tail of a scorpion and a pair of wing sprouting from his back which seemed to watch me with a look which said "I will eat you now". With a sudden roar it pounced but I was really for it and dived to the side, bringing up my Crossbow and firing the meagre sleeping dart which pierced his paw and did little to harm him.

However the dart meant to knock a pony out for four hours still made the Manticore very woozy and he staggered about before collapsing for a little nap. "Barely ten minutes in and I've already taken out a Manticore, must be a record" I said to myself whilst re-loading my crossbow.

So I went on, past some large oak trees and a muddy swamp keeping quiet but walking fast none the less. It seemed that everything was going to be smooth sailing until I came to a very large river that was flowing too rapidly to cross without a bridge or something else.

That something else however was previously submerged but now appeared before me. A purple-Sea serpent was a rarity in rivers but then again this was the Everfree Forest which I was told had its own uncontrolled weather patterns.

The monster had made me react quickly and I was already hidden in the depths of the nearest bush. Killing it wasn't exactly an option, not unless I could stab it right in the head but besides that those almost steel like scale plates would make it hard for my sword and impossible for my crossbow's bolts to penetrate.

"Oh what I wonderful moustache I have, if only I could show it off to the world" said the monster in a very strange tone of voice. The beast turned around so it was now facing me and I saw it had gingeriest hair and the most ridiculous moustache I had ever seen.

Suddenly I was spotted and with a gasp as all my air left my lungs as the beast raised me to its eye level. "Well hello my little pony, how on earth did you get so deep into the Everfree Forest"? I was slightly suffocating and my lungs begged for air but the Sea-Serpent didn't really notice this and continued his tirade of annoying self-compliments that he believed I was acknowledging.

"Oh isn't my moustache wonderful" and "It took over fifty years to grow" was just some of the things I could hear as I struggled to escape his grasp. However he wasn't going to let go anytime soon. I noticed I was actually brushing against his moustache now and although it was impressive how a sea-serpent could keep his moustache curly even though it would probably be getting constantly attacked by water I had to escape.

I bit down hard on the moustache and pulled hard. A very un-monster like cry of pain came from the sea-serpent and he literally splayed his hands and threw me into the air. I let go of the moustache and began the classic phrase which everypony who does not own a pair of wings cry out when they're in the predicament of falling a few hundred feet through the air.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" I cried out as the forest loomed closer and closer. Suddenly I was falling towards a deep crevice with one very lonely and rickety bridge hanging over it. I instantly put my hooves out and hoped I'd catch it or even a tree branch as I fell down into the ravine.

My hooves tugged as I felt the rope of the bridge and clung to it for dear life, however the momentum I'd gained was too much for the rickety bridge and I heard a snap and looking up despite my slight dis-orientation I saw the bridge ropes snap in two.

I held on to my side of the bridge with all my remaining strength but couldn't contain the yelp when I suddenly hit the side of the ravine. That was going to bruise was a quick thought in my head before I started to slowly climb my way back up to the safety of good solid ground.

I felt a lot of tension in the bridge but luckily it took my weight perfectly fine and I pulled myself up through the rapidly developing mist. I didn't know how I would cross the bridge again but I figured that I could cross that bridge when the time came to it.

I looked through the thin layer of mist just enough to make out the outline of a large and very intimidating stone structure which to my relief I recognised from the file as being the mysterious no name castle. I checked my equipment and loaded another sleeper dart into my crossbow. It wasn't a piece of caking getting here but I'd barely been grazed in comparison I was either walking into a crumbling ruin or a top secret prison I just didn't know what to expect so I expected both and with only a brief thought of my wife's face I drove forwards without a hesitation to rescue and then ponynap a mare who would probably kill me after I released her if I released her from her magical prison.

**Thanks to **The Awes0me 0ne **for Editing!**


	3. Prison House Blues

**Prison House Blues**

**To Enter the Underground Prison Levels please ensure you have proper clearance before pulling the hidden lever, make sure you have proper genetic identification or else you shall be incinerated by magical wards, Thank You for Reading this Sign.**

Looking up at the much worn sign which must have been here for a long time without maintenance I realised that my job would be a heck of a lot harder if I got incinerated. I was in one of the Castle's large chambers which probably once was the chambers of Celestia or some other important Pony and after an hour of looking around I had found a secret door in the fireplace and entered through to find this rusted sign.

I didn't know if spells wore off over time and dissipated or remained in place until they were used up or the caster vanquished them so I decided it best to look everything I needed up in the book I'd brought. Flipping through the pages I eventually found an article on the science of magical wards.

It Read:

**Due to the lack of knowledge of most Unicorns since the majority of schools are filled with Earth Ponies who know little to nothing about magic it is important to understand the concept of simple wading spells, many of which can come in handy when faced by danger or in the security of the home.**

**Basic Ward spells can protect against flying missiles, elemental magic and in the case of security detect and stop thieves or other perpetrators and warn whichever pony is in charge. In some cases wards have backfired on the caster due to lack of concentration or improper channelling of magic but this is rare and usually results in no harming coming about.**

**Since magic at such a high level is practiced only by a few there have never been any deaths or serious injuries although there is a long history of incorrectly channelled magic in the past before Celestia outlawed the practices of higher level Warding that had the potential to maim and kill ponies.**

**Old magic has also been known to fail over prolonged time without maintenance of the original magical caster which can lead to complete vaporization in extreme cases.**

**If you are a Unicorn and if you think you may be in a dangerous and potentially warded area that might have been improperly cast then please contact the nearest official. If you are trapped and need to cross potentially warded area then follow instructions for spell on page (45) to detect and dis-enchant ward.**

**If you are not a Unicorn then find some orange moss and grind it into a paste. After this cover said paste in small rocks and throw at area that you think may be potentially improperly warded. Ward should appear as a shimmering wall of light and if you can squeeze past it and report it to your nearest Unicorn.**

**Note: This technique will only work on disabling or detecting improperly warded areas and cannot be applied to working wards which fall under the radar of these detection techniques.**

Closing the book and looking around I didn't see any orange moss in sight. In fact I had never seen any orang moss in my life or heard a mention of its name. From my Royal Guard Training I knew basic and helpful medical herbs but orange moss never came up on the entry exam.

I scratched my head and decided to head back out and into the castle ruins, maybe some moss grew there and since this was orange moss I already had a good enough description. I exited the fire place which closed behind me and went in search of this moss.

I passed a great many rooms which I had passed previously. Most looked un-important lie staff rooms and such but there was one specific room which I must have walked past completely. It was a huge room like a hall or at closer inspection a throne room.

It was generally empty apart from a raised stone platform with a bunch of rocks on it. A few patches of the boring green moss hung from the ceiling and looking over behind the stone platform I saw a large and half crumbled throne.

Curious, I walked over to it and touched its arms. I decided I might as well see what the great big deal about needing a throne to command of an entire country and sat down upon the throne. Instantly a wave of nausea hit me and I felt like I was going to be sick. I began to see flashing pictures which made no sense and some eerie whispers entered my head.

I immediately leapt off the throne and decided that was enough ruling for one day and went back to looking for the moss. I felt a crunch however under my hoof and stepping aside was glad to see I'd stepped on the orange moss and now could finally at least see if there might be potential wards in the area.

I figured that since the sign looked about a hundred years old then the magical wards may have malfunctioned but it still made me nervous. In fact everything about magic made me nervous which was why I tried to avoid it at all times.

Even so all this magical investigating made me curious about magic. It must after all make life so much easier to be able to levitate things and destroy things with some energy. I'd seen the Unicorns in the Royal Guard lift their swords like it was nothing and pull off the fanciest tricks without having to waste their energy whilst the Earth Ponies and Pegasi had to have years of training until the sword was an extension of their forelegs.

I shook my head and ate the orange moss, not even caring if it were poisoned or not. It had a foul taste just like uncooked grass with no seasoning but I chewed it up without complaint (not that there was anypony to complain to) and spat the mixture onto my hand.

Then I found a few small pebbles and began to do as the book said covering the sticky and disgusting and not to mention gross substance all over some pebbles before finally being able to precede another step towards my goal.

I briefly wandered about the wave of sickness that had washed over me but then I brushed it off and proceeded forward through the abandoned halls. It had been a few hours now since I had arrived here and the sky was growing dark. I looked through the ruined roof of the castle to see light dancing in the clouds where I believed the home of Weather Cloudsdale was located.

Once more I wondered what it would be like to be able to fly through the air like a bird and control entire storms with your hooves. Darn it seemed the Earth Ponies were the most boring of all races, besides a hefty strength and equally strong fortitude they didn't have wings or magic and weren't generally smart or crafty.

However the thing we did have was higher numbers in terms of populace, not that it would really do us any good but I didn't want to dwell on the subject of being born an Earth Pony and not something cooler.

I arrived at the fireplace and pushed the hidden entrance open once again. The sign was still there to remind me of my fate if there was even on ward that wasn't broken ahead of me. I looked down the small corridor ahead and thought that if one ward blocked my path then I was totally screwed.

I began walking and throwing my little pebbles which seemed to simply fly through nothing. I continued walking and chucking the pebbles however they hit no faulty ward and I wasn't vaporized or trapped by any functional ward and by no time I had reached the end of the hallway unscathed.

I was firstly amazed but then my amazement was overcome when I finally saw the door ahead of me labelled **High Prison Rooms 1-5. **Judging by the lack of rooms I guessed there wasn't much in there but then again if wards could fail and if this place could be abandoned then maybe some prisoner escaped their cell in that time.

It was unlikely, they'd probably trigger a dozen alarms but I still proceeded with my crossbow at my chest. There was another hallway (which made me question who designed this top secret prison) and It had two doors on each side and a single door with a 1 labelled on it which gave me a small hint as to the most important prisoner inside.

On the doors on either side of the hallway I read the other things which were written on it things like "Kindom of the Parasprite's" or the "Gateway to the land of the Human" (I think you pronounce the word like that). On the other side there was a peeling label tinged a dark red reading "Cupcakes" and the second last door before Clearwater's read "The Rainbow Factory".

These names didn't sound like they should be menacing at all, more like the kind of things you'd want to share with the foals of the world. Curiously I peeked into the door named Parasprite's and a little ball of really cute fluff which was an insect puffed out and flew down the hall.

"Really Dangerous" I said to myself and went to peek over in the cupcakes door since I hadn't really eaten since the train ride. I opened the door slowly and looked inside for a few seconds before proceeding to close the door sharply and collapse to the floor in a very un stallion like faint.

I woke up a short while later and tried my hardest to brush off the images I'd seen in there but unfortunately like my now almost completely grey hair I would have to carry that for the rest of my life. I didn't even want to touch the handle labelled the Human World for the fears of releasing some cruel horror upon Equestria.

After seeing some of the other rooms and now standing outside Clearwater's cell it made me fear what was inside. If she was Prisoner number 1 the she was the most dangerous thing in here and after the cupcake room I wanted to spill my guts so bad there and then.

However I pressed on, knowing that the day of traveling, climbing, flying, fighting and nearly puking had all led up to this moment. The chance for me to start again, get my life back on track with my wife and enough money to make sure that we lived well for the rest of our lives.

"Bring the girl and wipe away the debt" I murmured, before I opened the door to Prisoner Number 1. The door creaked noisily on its heavy framed and unattended hinges. I dropped any chance of sneaking in and opened up the doors to see a completely spotless and white room with a single whit Unicorn with her foot chained right in the centre of the room.

She at first looked dead since she was slumped on the ground but slowly she seemed to stir ever so slightly. First off this amazed me since nothing can live for over a thousand years unless the entire room was time spelled which would still have kept her in a state of unmoving and un-aging hell. Next was the fact that she couldn't have been more than nineteen whilst the description had told her to be in her late 30s.

She slowly cracked open her eyes and in a shout voice said "Thou is a different Apparition today, yesterday it is mother, earlier it was sister but you are not of our mind" she said in a very old speaking way. She may have been delusional but she had the power to bring back life and only the rich mare could help me so I drew my sword and went over to her, possibly looking a bit more menacing than I actually was.

"Come to end us it seems, we don't blame thou in fact we thank you" she shouted once more. I didn't quite understand her thinking but I adopted the classic Royal Guard Expression and swung my sword and the slightly rusty chains which basically crumbled on impact.

Clearwater's hoof was free but looking at it I was horrified to see the bleeding red cuts and marks on it. In fact come to think of it there were a lot of red marks and scars and what seemed like bite wounds all over her body as if she had been attacked or maybe even attacked herself.

"A Punishment worse than death" I mumbled aloud and she looked up at me from her lying position on the floor, blinking heavily as if to make sure I existed or something. What was going on inside her head I had no idea but at the instant she simply didn't look like everything the reports had told me.

She was barely a mare, covered in old wounds, spoke old hat and by the look of her slightly trembling lips and watery eyes was about to cry. Not the hardened killer who had murdered her mentor in wanting of his power and position.

I considered consoling her but I reminded myself that despite appearances looks could be deceiving and she could rise up and stab me in the back with a hidden knife or blow me to pieces at any time with just a thought.

I decided it was time I stopped staring at her and addressed her fully. "Miss Clearwater my name is P.I Backwater and I have been tasked to finding you and setting you free, you are to accompany me back to the Celestia Tower in Manhatten where you will be debriefed also to add to this your powers will…are you crying"? I asked in absolute amazement.

I'd seen mad ponies cry and happy ponies cry and sad ponies cry and I could definitely detect that this was tears of sadness and not gladness. I ruffled my mane and crouched down, going level with her face and asked with my short sword pointed at her chest "what is the problem"?

She into my eyes and I saw that her eyes were not a typical everyday blue, more of a night blue which upon closer inspection were speckled with stars. "We…We…sniff our Princess Luna, ruler o…of the moon and framed for the murder of Starswirl the bearded.

I looked deep into her sad eyes, still wary that my head was just above her horn which might be used to blow my brains across the room at any moment. "I have heard of Princess Luna, she was once a reigning Princess of all of Equestria just like Celestia before she turned bad and created an eternal night" I told her and this time her eyes widened to a crazed state and I shuffled back a bit.

"What…has she done, by the spirits please you need to get us out of these tunnels, to the mountains in The Bad Lands where we can rebirth our powers and form, thou must do this noble sir or Equestria will fall" she said in an irate voice.

She was obviously turned crazy over her little stay here which made me wonder why Celestia didn't just kill her even though it is different in terms of morality however I had once read that execution was used a thousand years ago and if being Prisoner 1 didn't count as guilty and warrant of the death penalty then I could steal the Royal Crown and probably get away with it.

"Listen you little filly, I know you killed your master and I know you hate the Princess's and the Empire, frankly some points I will agree on with you there but pretending to be some other long dead and power hungry mare does not…" I stopped right there as I heard a loud boom and suddenly a low rumble.

"Oh Horse feathers the Prisons coming down, quickly we need to go whether you're crazy or not" I yelled sheathing my sword. "We can't stand" she said weakly raising a hoof out to me. I didn't stop moving and simply scooped her onto my back and ran for it.

Stone collapsed as I ran down the hallway and the steel door rro the Rainbow Factory burst open, followed by a tirade of bloody rainbow stained Pegasi in lab coats. I didn't even imagine what they were and kept galloping as fast as I could until I was into the other hallway. Another stone sealed the door and hopefully all the nightmares in the other passage and I ran down the isle of wards now, dodging boulders and trying not to drop Clearwater. Her head scraped against the side of the wall and it opened up a previous cut which had been there. However it couldn't be helped and I barely made it out of the Fireplace before stones caved it all in.

I dropped Clearwater to the side of me and collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily. Clearwater had passed out from her weak state and the wound on her head; typical after a thousand years to sleep she would do it now.

She was confusing, she was probably just tricking me into carrying her so that I could be this tired and let my guard down but I was smarter I would never fall asleep on duty when I was a guard and I would certainly not do it now even though the world did seem to be getting blurry and dark and the roof of the castle seemed to fade into whiteness and I heard the soft cries of a baby as I fell asleep.


	4. Sweet Dreams

**Sweet Dreams**

_I was walking along the corridors on my daily Twilight Rounds before I'd sleep off a day of training new recruits and parading through the streets. I didn't mind the job of being the Lieutenant to the Royal Guard, in fact I'd relish in it had I not been working side by side Captain Steel._

_I could officially say to myself after nearly a year under his command that he was the World's most annoying and pathetic pony ever. He constantly though I was out for his job and made it his mission to try and sabotage everything I did by mostly sending farmers who didn't really want to be Guards for me to train and then running to Celestia about how they would be a terrible addition to the Guard._

_However I was always ahead of him and I actually trained them all well enough to pass the bare minimum for being a guard which made the Captain insanely mad and attempt to do everything to stop me succeeding short of throwing me from the battlements of the castle._

_I had however been succeeding in quite a number of tasks recently including the saving of everypony trapped inside the throne room whilst a fire burnt freely and Celestia was nowhere to been being in the Griffon Territories for an annual meeting with the birds/lions._

_Smelling the fire and finding that every rich ass was blocking the doorway because each pony was trying to escape at the exact same time I charged into the fray and knocked them all aside so that traffic cold get flowing again._

_For my efforts I was awarded with angry Captain Steel who had fired me then and there but upon Celestia's return I was re-instated and honoured for my quick thinking despite the number of ponies that complained I was being uncouth when I saved their lives._

_I walked up the tall winding steps of the castle's observation castle where I often liked to gaze at the sky as dawn turned into night in Twilight. It was a good way to end a shift and it always seemed to calm me down. I had been a guard for a little over a year now and experience had so far taught me that there was generally nothing to the job except Parades, a little paperwork, looking solemn every time somepony's kid pointed at you and sometimes helping to solve the usual small catastrophes like who spiked the soup or broke the Royal Throne._

_So I stood and gazed over the Twilight despite how brief it was and suddenly something caught my eyes. The stars that were emerging seemed different and looking close I saw a shooting star arch across the sky. They said you should make a wish when that happened so I just wished what I usually wished for._

_However the shooting star looked a little too close for comfort and it was arching to me at a very fast rate and suddenly it wasn't a star it was a shining orb of light. I dove for cover despite the fact I would probably be incinerated._

_I crunched up and covered my face waiting for the next few seconds to become a fiery explosion. However it never came and I slowly cracked an eye open in question as to why I was not dead yet. The shining orb flickered a moment and then it began to morph and change colour._

_This was obviously some kind of magical related attack from some unknown enemy and I quickly drew my sword and faced off the morphing white light. I sliced at it but it was like cutting through butter and when I withdrew my sword it melted into a million stars._

_"The hay" I whispered as I stumbled back from the tower towards the steps leading down to the keep and some magicians who might be able to do a better job than me of defending the castle against magical white light blobs._

_"Wait Backwater" shouted the name. I turned around, I'd hear that voice before quite recently actually and looking round I saw a flicker pony that was made of magic entirely limping towards me. She was nearly the height of Celestia and a bit taller than me with hair that flowed like Celestia's rainbow mane except hers was a deep blue. The rest of her body was a little light shade of blue and she seemed to have a cutie mark of the moon._

_I could only stand there mouth slightly agape as the mare's image flickered and in some place disappeared. This was powerful magic indeed and yet I couldn't move, in fact it was like I was transfixed. "Backwater is your name, Captain Backwater, this dream is how you became Captain of the Royal Guard" she said suddenly._

_I was confused for a few moments when my brain tried to comprehend what she was saying. Then suddenly something terribly obvious clicked in. "I'm asleep whilst that mare is out there" I gasped aloud my younger voice sounding a little higher that my much older and worn throat which had received plenty of alcohol in its time._

_"Yes you are asleep and please don't refer to me as a prisoner" she said as she sat down, finding the effort to stand too great. I looked over at this strange mare whom after more careful examination was actually an a Alicorn except her wings and horn kept distorting._

_"You're Clearwater?" I asked pointing at what I thought was either the rebirth of my long dead imagination or indeed Clearwater using some kind of magic to get in my head. "No I'm neither, Backwater you need to listen because I can't keep this state up for long that's how weak I am and dissolving your blade whether it fictional or not was difficult enough for me but I must tell you now that Equestria, the whole world actually is in terrible danger" she coughed out._

_"I don't understand why would a prisoner come into my head and make up some big sob story about Equestria" I asked angrily, taking a menacing step towards her. "You were a Captain in the Royal Guard you are a protector of the Royals and the Kingdom and Empire you must make sure that the form I am trapped inside in the real world makes it safely to the Northern Mountains of The Bad Lands" she said quickly as if she was about to disappear (which I supposed she was). _

_"But I" I began to interrupt but she gasped in pain and continued quickly saying "My form in reality although deceiving is the work of evil magic performed by the real Clearwater who killed Starswirl and then used forbidden magic to take all my power and form whilst leaving me in her powerless shell"._

_The magical image flickered greatly now and began to dissipate but not before saying "I am Princess Luna and I was framed and left to rot without the comfort of anypony or anything for a thousand years" she gasped as she dissipated and murmured "awake"._

I shot up as straight as an arrow shaft from my most unusual and complicated experience (which hopefully was just a dream) ever. It felt like I wasn't dreaming yet somehow knew I was. Clearwater began waking up right next to me.

She groaned a little in a voice slightly similar to the one from the dream which made me suspicious but then confused as I recalled her rapid speech about how she was an ancient moon Princess who had been stripped of power, framed and left to rot in prison for a thousand years.

It was a pretty desperate way for a villain to beg you to free them but then again she had over a thousand years to conjure up plans even if it was true that she had weak magic. I was actually convinced almost by the more logical side of my brain that she was indeed powerless and couldn't use magic due to her incarceration but I wasn't convinced that she was Princess Luna, no not at all.

"Sister please don't leave us" mumbled Clearwater as she began to properly wake up. Despite all her trickery I couldn't help but feel bad for the mare, she had after all been alone for a thousand years which was as I'd said in the prison a Punishment worse than death.

She slowly began to flicker her eyes open, reaching up weakly with a hoof to rub them. She looked around her surroundings and up at me. I noted that waking up to an intimidating pony must be scary even for a slightly deranged killer but I didn't have time to care.

The more a prisoner got into the mind of the captor the more the captor would trust and had the potential to pity the prisoner which was something I didn't want so in a gruff voice I asked "can you walk"? She blinked a few moments and weakly responded "We don't think we can".

I leaned down and put her over my back again; keeping hooves away from any potential weapons or pointy objects she could use to gut me. "Do not attempt to escape and do not attempt to kill me, if you can act sensibly and reasonably then we can get to Manehatten without you being caught" I told her as I began to walk out of the castle.

She tried to struggle but I could tell by her movements that even if she did get off my back she wouldn't be able to stand or do anything but get captured by me again. "Thou can't do…" she began but she was too weak to finish her sentence so I finished it for her.

"What I can't take you to Manehatten, you are not a free mare on the contrary you are a very dangerous mare who although might have been through hell during your eternal imprisonment is not going to get any free rides to some northern mountains" I said sternly.

She gave up struggling and now put all of her energy into speaking to me. "But…Thou are the Captain of the Guard, a Protector of the Realm we command thou and furthermore implore thou to help us" she seemed to be begging and I was pretty sure weeping slightly.

I stopped and set her down on the floor and began to rummage through my saddle bag. "Listen I can't hope to imagine what you've been through in that prison and although you might have simply had an evil thought and killed Starswirl in the moment maybe you didn't mean it but I had a deal with this mare to get you back to Manehatten, I'm no Guard anymore and certainly not a felon or a hero, I'm also sorry because I don't like doing this" I said as I pulled out some cloth and tied it around Clearwater's mouth.

She didn't struggle or complain (not that she really had the strength to) but her eyes looked up at min with a disappointing look which asked me "why"? I put her back on my back and this time noticed her struggling had reduced to nothing and I hope that this would be the last time I had to put up with her trickery which I was determined would not get to me.

I exited the chambers and walked through the ruins of the old castle. Through the gaps in the roof and saw it was indeed now deep night meaning that I couldn't have been asleep for more than a few hours which meant I was way ahead of schedule.

All I had to do was traverse the Everfree once more, board the train to Manehatten and finally take the girl to the tower and I'd get my wife back and disappear, maybe go live somewhere like Ponyville where nopony could ever find or bother me ever again.

I walked briskly, trying to ignore the cold feeling I was getting and ignoring the fact that the moon was looking at me in a menacing way which made me want to get out of this castle as soon as possible. However when I was passing the Ruin of the Royal Throne Room I was temporarily blinded by a flash of blue light from the doorway.

I stumbled over and against the wall beside the door and quickly dropped Clearwater, drawing my sword and checking to see if she was doing something. She wasn't even awake, as unconscious as I had been last Winter Wrap up Free Cider Festival.

I checked to see if she was performing some kind of mental magic but no usual magical aurora was shimmering over her horn like it did with all Unicorns and even Celestia. I looked back into the throne room where I saw the most bizarre thing ever.

Twilight Sparkle seemed to be facing off some kind of mare which looked almost exactly like the one from my dream and more to the point the nightmare of young foals Nightmare Moon. Suddenly Clearwater woke up and began thrashing about frantically trying to get out of her bonds and shouting into her gag.

I signalled for her to be quite and un-gagged her since I was sure she didn't want to meet Luna any more than me and she whispered "We can sense her, Clearwater you must believe us she is in the other room can thou not feel the dark energy all across her form"?

I looked back and it was true that this nightmarish pony did seem to be one of the most evil creatures I'd ever seen. She was suddenly all over the room charging at Twilight who teleported across to some rock which she then seemed to zap with her magic before Nightmare moon went over again and almost got zapped but then destroyed them and I was having trouble following what craziness was going on.

"What did you do?" I whispered but Clearwater said nothing, simply saying "Nothing we tell you we're Princess Luna and that is Clearwater, thou know this to be true look at my cutie mark!" she whispered urgently. I looked for the first time at Clearwater's Cutie Mark and gasped, it was a picture of the moon despite the scars all over it.

"You could have simply used magic or painted it on" I implied but Clearwater (or Luna I was having doubts now) shook her head and stated "It would take powerful magic or a spell which would in time wear out, we don't have the magic to perform it anymore, check the cutie mark on Clearwater" she instructed.

"So I looked over at Nightmare Moon/Luna/Clearwater (yeah it was getting confusing) and saw that her cutie mark did look a little off, almost like it had been painted on. "Think about it Captain, if we wanted to kill you we would have already" she reasoned.

I thought about this and although it seemed like she was telling the truth I was still unconvinced despite the evidence and claims she made. I looked back through the doorway and must have missed a lot because there were another five ponies of all the three races there and they were all listening to Twilight saying something about magic, friendship and such.

I recognised the orange mare from somewhere but couldn't quite put my finger on it. The white one was a unicorn, the pink one an Earth pony like the orange mare, the yellow and rainbow one were both Pegasi and they all seemed to begin glowing as one by one some of the small rocks that Nightmare moon had broken began circling.

I studied Nightmare Moon intently. She seemed to be humouring herself with these ponies and even when Twilight seemed to flash brightly as with all of them and shot a freaking rainbow at her I saw a slight smirk before she put on her best defeated voice.

"Noooooooooo!" seemed to be all it took to convince everyone that something was going their way when behind the rainbow I could see Nightmare Moon disappear and her armour fall off. First off the fact a rainbow was used in defeating the bane of foals was confusing but when a small and defenceless older filly emerged I was even more surprised.

I was even more surprised when the after rainbow residue blew across the room and landed in my mouth (let's just say I definitely could taste the rainbow) and I had to do everything in my power to keep from choking and making noise.

Suddenly the sun began to rise and all of a sudden Celestia appeared making me question what in Equestria was really going on here. Celestia seemed pleased and as always didn't look any older than the first time I'd seen her. I watched as she went over to Luna and I actually slipped into the room and hid behind a pillar to hear what she was saying.

"Will you accept my friendship?" asked Celestia to the defenceless filly now who smiled but quickly disguised it with a sorrowful look. "I'm so sorry, I missed you so much big sister" she said, leaping up and nuzzling her head against Celestia's. "I missed you too" said Celestia with true tears in her eyes.

I looked at supposedly the real Clearwater crying and at that moment her eye caught mine and I saw so much held back anger in there waiting to spring at destroy everypony. However she also saw me and in keeping with her role gasped and said "who is that pony"?

Everypony turned to gape at me behind the pillar and Celestia even questioned "Captain Backwater what are you doing here"? The six other ponies with the rainbow necklaces were staring at me and Twilight's horn began to shimmer purple in case there was trouble which I supposed there would be.

However with everypony's attention on me their backs were to Clearwater and she looked at me with a twisted and evil grin and her horn discharged some silent magic and I felt my lips and body moved al on their own. "I'm here to kill Princess Luna" my mouth said all on its own as if being fed a script and my hoof raised my crossbow and I fired a bolt right at Luna.

Celestia jumped in the way and it hit her in the neck spouting a small fountain of blood which stained her white coat red. Everypony gasped, especially me but I did not expect Celestia's eyes to glow bright white and suddenly a wall of heat was heading towards me.

I dodged behind the pillar as stone turned to molten lava and the pillar began to collapse. I dived into the doorway and scooped up the real Luna as the doorway collapsed. "What…what's happening?" she asked weakly.

I breathed heavy as I ran through the corridors of the ruined castle. I took a detour, heading for the back of the castle and explained "You were right Princess, you aren't Clearwater but they don't know that and now I think I have shot the most powerful pony in Equestria in the neck".


	5. Escape To The Country

**Escape To the Country**

"So tell me again if I've got this all right because I'm still slightly confused" I said as I paced up and down one side of the fire in the cave I had gotten us too. "Your name is Princess Luna and you have been stripped of all your powers and form and were framed over a thousand years ago and locked in that room which didn't stop time but stopped aging and Clearwater is in your body with your powers and by the looks of it planning to take over all of Equestria" I said in one big breath.

"Yes, it is all true; we understand it is hard to comprehend but unfortunately we have had to live in full knowledge that our body was being used by that…that monster" said Luna in disgust. After some rest and some food which I'd been able to scavenge she was certainly far better than she was hours before.

"We believed that she had already taken over the Empire and we further believed this when her guards stopped checking up on us after a few hundred years" said Luna as she shimmied closer to the fire. She was still quite weak and I didn't even want to know her mental strength but right now I had more pressing issues on my mind.

"If you aren't Clearwater then that means you don't have the magical ability to bring ponies back to life" I asked her intently looking into her eyes in the hope she did know. She looked at me strangely and said in a ludicrous voice "What…nopony can bring back the dead when you die you stay down its simple and we should know for we trained under Starswirl himself".

I was angry to say the least and I desperately needed a drink, in fact if I didn't get some cider I believed I would explode. It must have been showing on my face just how upset I was about being lied to about the possible resurrection of my dear wife and the possibility of new life because Luna was looking at me with a slightly pitiful look on her face.

"Is something wrong because if you want you can talk to us about it" she offered. I looked up at Luna her form that of a Unicorn, not exactly a big one with her white coat and silvery mane that didn't belong to her along with all those scars and bite marks.

I could still get her to Manehatten in less than four days and claim my reward, enough booze to drink myself to death in some rich penthouse. They wouldn't know the difference and by the time they realized I'd probably be dead.

I looked at her face which despite the fact was still framed in youth looked old and battle scarred, that and the fact it wasn't hers made me pity her. I pulled my sword from my side sheath and began to sharpen it with a sharpening stone.

Luna looked on as I sat with my back against the wall and my face entirely focused on the steel of the blade. Luan kept looking at me with her intense blue eyes until she finally asked "So how did thou become the Captain of the Guard"?

I looked at Luna and stopped sharpening my sword. "Didn't you intrude into my head, you should like know everything about me or something" I said which when I put it that way made me cringe since I hadn't been a choir colt in my life. "No I simply have the power to watch over dreams which as you saw was faded and almost worthless now, all I saw was what was taking place in the dream and I saw you atop the tower watching the Twilight".

I chuckled a bit which puzzled Luna but I explained "No it's funny because Twilight is the name of a talented Unicorn which is also Celestia's student and whose brother replaced me as Captain in the guard" I ended bitterly.

"Why were thou replaced?" asked Luna but I avoided the topic by telling her how I became the Captain of the Guard. "Well I can't remember how I became the Captain in all the details but basically after climbing the tower and watching the Twilight I was startled by the Captain which at the time was called Steel who believed I was after his job and despised me for it.

He attempted to push me off the tower but instead he fell about thirty feet into the royal glass room where his body was scarred and his bones twisted. I explained what had occurred to Celestia and Steel was fired and I was promoted to the Captain of the Royal Guard" I finished, remembering good times.

There was a small silence followed by my story and Luna then asked "Is that it"? I was surprised to say the least but it quickly turned to anger and I said sarcastically "Yes did you want something else maybe a few explosions or a fight with an ancient mummy"?

"Oh no Captain we did not mean to offend thee, it's just that if something were to happen like this in the castle with the Captain of the guard the general procedure would be to sentence the Captain to death and the next day cut his head off with a heavy war axe" she simply stated as if that were common knowledge.

I blinked once or twice before clearly explaining "Yeah well in the modern world we don't cut ponies heads off, hay there is barely any death that's noticeable any more". "Really" said Luna in a fascinated tone of voice.

"Please do tell us about this new world and what else has changed?" she asked leaning forwards. I looked at her and asked "You want me to fill in a thousand years of knowledge like right now"? Luna thought for a moment before she said "No we command it now tell" in her very loud and old pony speaking voice.

"Well for a start nopony talks like you anymore" I told her to which she responded "Oh no this is just the Canterlot Voice used only by Celestia and we" she explained. "Well no you're wrong, Celestia doesn't use that kind of voice anymore in fact she is usually quite calm and collective but with a dangerous undertone" I described.

"Well that's Tia, forever the one to embrace modern social life but never the wonderful technologies it brings with it" said Luna. "Oh you want some technology well get this…they created a form of light which used a thing called electricity" I said to see what her reaction would be.

"What does thou mean the kind which can be generated from storms?" asked Luna but I shook my head and explained "No, they use coal to obtain the energy through heating steam, they also use coal to power machines and more specifically a thing for transportation at a grand scale called a train".

Luna seemed absolutely fascinated with this and went on to ask "Weapons, did anypony finish our crossbow?" asked Luna in a look of actual happiness. "Crossbow, yeah I have a custom built one here see" I said showing her my miniature crossbow in my saddle bag.

She looked it over in awe and amazement and touched everything from the handle to the pointy sharp end of the bolt. I became a little more distressed when she pointed the crossbow at her eye and quickly took it off her again.

"Amazing" was all Luna could say and I agreed, telling her "Yeah it's good for stealth and even better for intimidation". "What of my sister, you served in her Guard for many a year so you must have known her to a certain level" asked Luna now looking more serious and focused on my words.

"Well I didn't know her on a personal level but I did attend a few parade and Guards some festivals and quite a few times I was with her when the Wonder bolt's started up. "Wonder who?" asked Luna. "Oh just a bunch of arrogant fly ponies who fly around fairs and whenever there's a danger that can't e solved by ground they take to the sky in an impressive way, showing off their speed and tricks as they save the day" I said with some spite in my voice.

"You don't like them all very much do you?" said Luna and I agreed they were just like the Guard now all young and arrogant, full of energy but lacking experience. "Yeah well let's just say that thanks to your sister Equestria became so safe that they outlawed all weapons to be owned by civilians and even made sure that Guards no longer wear swords on a day to day basis" I explained.

"Well that's not very safe, what if the Kingdom were attacked?" asked Luna to which I replied in a loud voice "Exactly that's what I told them but they refused my views and banned the sword and when I didn't lay down my arms for the protection of the land they fired me!" I was yelling now, raised with my sword drawn.

Luna was looking wide eyed and scared at my loud tangent but accepted it and even shared some of her own time's stories as well. "In my time technology and social life was different, in a way much easier and yet much harder, ponies were still struggling to figure out the wheel for crying out loud but then again the social development was also lacking" explained Luna.

"Ponies just got on with their lives without complaint if we changed rules or taxes went up but from what I'm hearing there is a lot of political differences and change going on am I correct?" she asked. But I wasn't really listening to what Luna was saying, just her voice which had begun to sound more modern and less loud.

"Was it something I said?" asked Luna and I put on my best Canterlot voice and decreed "No thou hast done nothing wrong fair Princess". Luna looked at me puzzled before gasping and putting her hoof to her mouth. "Was I…we mean was I" she began to get muddled so I helped her by saying "Yes you were speaking like you were normal Luna" but she seemed to look sad when I said this and got up to go to the foot of the cave and peer at the stars.

She limped slightly and was still weak but she was a strong pony or Alicorn despite her current form. I stood by her and sheathed my sword, standing and looking up at the night sky. "I remember creating many of these stars" she began. "My Father had already made the majority of them but I began toying around and created entire Nebulas and comets and many more things it was beautiful from my point of view and although it bothered me that most ignored it, it made me appreciate more when ponies like it, with Celestia the ponies always accepted the sun and worked played and lived in it but they never appreciated it they just accepted it" Luna murmured.

I had absolutely no doubt now about what it was that I had to do and even though it would be difficult, the chances of me dying were high and the chances of success were so low I didn't even want to think about it I'd do it.

"Luna, this sky might not have been brought about tonight by your hooves but I promise you that I will do everything in my power despite how unimportant and powerless I am to bring it back into you and return you too your rightful place as the ruler of our land" I told her truthfully, even getting a little bit poetic at the end of my little pledge.

"So you mean you'll take me to the Northern Mountains of the Bad LAnds and help me regain my powers!?" she asked in giddy joy to which I responded "Err yeah I guess so". Despite her weak muscles and lack of energy she sure could hug tight as I discovered when I was encased in a bear tight hug which I was positive cracked a rib.

"Sorry" she apologised stepping back. "It's ok, but you do know which mountain it is right and actually more to the point why we have to go up a mountain in a beast infested land?" I asked. "Well do you have a map with you?" asked Luna and gave her my very detailed and coloured map the likes of which she'd probably never seen before. "It's good to know map producers have made some advancements in the field of technology" she said to which I mumbled "Yeah they even mapped the moon" but Luna wasn't paying attention and began to look over the map.

"Do thou have a quill to spare?" she asked and I instead handed her a pencil. Luna looked at it and asked "What is this?" I remembered that she probably had never seen a pencil before and explained "It's like a more precise Charcoal".

She began to mark key locations on the map and stare in amazement for some time at the pencil. At the end she showed me a map through the Everfree Forest which would take a little over a day which was good but then she showed me the rather large desert planes which would be the safest route to the mountains since it actually came up to the Bad lands and then the mountain where she said something powerful was stored.

All of this travel would take about five days and we had no magic on our side, we had no stocked food, we were ill supplied and ill equipped for any quests and Luna had just left a cell she had been resting in for a thousand years…I wasn't scared but I wasn't feeling very optimistic about the future.

"Well the early bird will catch the worm" I said, yawning and stretching back against the cave wall. "Then it will feed it to its young by eating and then regurgitating it" said Luna, thankful giving me a nice image to fall asleep with. "Great well can you take first watch Luna and wake me in a couple of hours" I asked and Luna nodded stating "I've pretty much had a thousand years to sleep we will be fine".

I nodded but just in case I gave her my crossbow and still without my mind at ease fell asleep and drifted off into the land of dreams.

_Walking through the castle gates was always a pleasure and I felt it once more and still relished in the feeling that this castle was my responsibility. Every Guard, Everypony and every brick was all looking up to me and sometimes even Celestia wanted my advice on something._

_However it was different this day as I saw something wrong with the draw-bridge, specifically the pony crawling slowly up its chain and to the battlements of the city. I scratched my nose and shouted "You there!" which startled the stealthier sneaker into scrambling up the chain and over the fortifications. _

_I immediately took off in chase except from the ground and pushed ponies and with boxes and foals alike aside in order to catch this sneaker or thief or maybe even assassin. Some sentries on the battlements saw her running and when I yelled stop her put their spears to good use and blocked the perpetrators way._

_I ran at her now trapped and tackled her to the floor. The hood covering the potential threat slipped back and revealed it to me a mare that took me by surprise. "Well hello handsome" she stated before kissing me very hard on the nose and causing me to step back in surprise._

_I was about to draw my sword when suddenly Celestia came out of nowhere and congratulated the thief saying "Well done Captain you just stopped the Royal Thief from breaking into the castle, it was just a test". I blinked and questioned test. To which the mare looked back and congratulated "Yep well done you have a nice tackle, I'd like to see more of it sometime" which I was positive made me turn red._

_She was quite an attractive mare I'd noticed but suddenly I noticed something else. Behind this mare was the flickering image of somepony else and…it was Luna! _

I awoke with a start and saw I was staring directly into the eyes of Luna. I reacted quickly and pushed her away, shouting "How dare you that dream was private"! Luna looked back at me and got up starting to apologise "I'm sorry Captain but it was getting late and my curiosity got the best of me and it just kind of happened" she tried to excuse but I wasn't having any of it.

"Well I don't care, now you sleep I've had enough and tomorrow I'll be pushing us really hard so you should sleep and try and keep your nose out of somepony's dreams…more specifically mine!" I yelled angrily to which Luna simply nodded, trying to apologise again but stopping when she looked at my angry eyes.

SO she instead settled down to sleep and I settled down to keep watch, still with the memory of that dream in my mind. I was ashamed to say that it made me want to break down and cry.


	6. Kill or Be Killed

**Kill or Be Killed**

Luna slept peacefully for the rest of the night and I kept watch over her and the entrance to the small gave we were hiding in. Although it was unlikely for Celestia to send Guards this far out and into the Everfree Forest with Clearwater impersonating Luna and whispering in Celestia's ear who knows what she might do.

I decided it was light enough to get moving and so a scattered the dying cinders of the fireplace and gently shook Luna. She was sleeping heavily but I eventually saw an eye crack open and I told her "its dawn and time we were on our way".

She yawned loudly and stretched asking "What about breakfast"? "We'll find some on the way, besides you went a thousand years without breakfast I'm sure another hour won't hurt". Unfortunately it seemed my fantastic humour fell flat and so we simply set off at a plodding pace since Luna was neither strong enough or in the mood to go faster.

I was guessing that something in her dream had disturbed her since she had tossed and writhed slightly during the night but I thought it best that I didn't mention it and leave all these depressive troubles for her to sort out if she could.

Walking along the silence which we'd developed wasn't compatible or awkward but very odd with mixed emotions. I supposed I was still a bit mad at her for interrupting my dream and I guessed she was feeling bad for doing it and I was feeling bad for her dream despite not knowing the contents so still retaining a level of decent privacy.

However I thought that a dream was supposed to be private and although she was the actual Princess of the night it gave her in my opinion no right to look into my mind. "I'm sorry Captain" said Luna out of the blue, surprising me and at the same time making me feel better.

"It was wrong for me to peer into that dream, when I enter ponies dreams I can detect if it's the imagination at work or a memory of the past and although yours was a memory I couldn't help but look" she apologised looking down at her hooves.

I looked back at her and said "I'm sorry too Princess, last night I had no right to yell or push you away like that, you are royalty and although weakened right now still my ruler". "Don't think of me as a ruler who can command and control you Captain" Luna told me.

"Is that a command?" I asked and Luna furrowed her brow and responded after a long pause. "If you want it to be a command then sure it's a command". We both chuckled a bit but I immediately cut the laughter and came to a complete stop when I saw markings on the forest floor.

"Hold up, these are pony tracks made quite recently" I whispered, crouching low and pulling out my crossbow. Luna got down as well and looked about with her eyes wide and frightened. "Is it safe to speak" she asked but was answered by a voice other than her own.

"Nope it's not, in fact I'd say that it's darn right the most dangerous thing you could possibly do right now little lady" said a pony cast in shadow behind a large oak tree. I pointed my crossbow right at his head and asked "Who are you and what do you want"?

The pony laughed a small and deadly laugh before stating "What do I want?" and taking a pause for consideration. "I want what is rightfully mine, I want all your equipment and that little mare over there and then I'll let you be on your way old man" he said in a demeaning tone.

I didn't let it faze me and stated simply "You're not having it"! Yet again there was more laughter and the stallion yelled "You're a foal then and you shall die!" before out of nowhere he leapt on my back, causing me to drop my crossbow and fall head first into the silhouette of a mannequin made of wood and straw.

I felt something wrap around my neck and then get pulled tight, citing off my supply of oxygen. I choked and bucked the bony right in the stomach, winding him and causing him to lose his grip on the garrotte. I drew my sword but he kicked it at the hilt and it flew out of my hand and embedded itself in a young Ash tree nearby. He continued to graze my jaw with a firm punch and the attempt to draw his own blade but I hit him in the ribs and upon hearing an audible crack followed with an uppercut against his jaw.

He stumbled back in pain and I made for the Ash tree to retrieve my sword however he had one more little sneaky trick up his damned sleeves (literally). He pulled out what I remembered from my weapons training as being called a Bolas and after swinging it twice threw it at me.

It hit me true and accurate and in an instant my limbs were in a tangled mess that couldn't move. I kicked and bucked against the rope but all it did was make it worse. I could only watch in a helpless state as the bandit who'd been on the floor and almost down a minute ago stumbled over to my sword, holding his side as he went.

He looked at my sword and commented "Ah a Royal Guard of Canterlot are you, well my friend you should know better than to come this deep into the Everfree" he said as he tested my blades wait. I began trying to bite the ropes which held me tight but despite my efforts they were well made and tight.

He finished gloating his victory now and bent down until his breath was right up against my ear and whispered in a venom coated voice "After I cut off your head I'm going to wreck that little whorse of yours". My anger couldn't be contained by simply bucking at the ropes and I rolled over and sank my teeth into his shoulder.

He cried out in pain as I bit deeper, drawing blood and eventually biting so deep that when he pulled away his flesh came with it. I spat out his blood hide and looked up at him in defiance. "I'll cut you in half" he wailed as he raised my sword in anger and I just shut my eyes and waited for the judgement of the sword against my stomach.

However I heard what was like a small cough from a bumble bee and looking u saw the bandits legs go to jelly as he let the sword go and dipped his hoof into the pool of blood in the centre of his chest where a small but deadly bolt had lodged itself.

He looked right in front of him as did I and we both saw Luna, shakily holding the crossbow away from her and breathing heavily. "You bitch" was all the bandit could say before he collapsed to the floor and died. Luna came running over to me and began to try and untie me but I told her "Get my sword and cut me loose".

She stepped over the body of the still freshly bleeding bandit and picked up my sword which was too heavy for her to actually hold. I made sure that my hooves weren't too close to the ropes and Luna brought down the sword with all her force. It clanged off the rocks after it cut through the ropes and I was set free.

I was relieved to say the least that I hadn't died tied up and helpless so I gratefully said "Thanks Princess I nearly…" but was surprised when she threw herself into my hooves sobbing uncontrollably. "I didn't mean to kill him, I just wanted him to stop" she cried as her tears soaked my suit right through to my coat. "Look its ok, he was a bad pony he deserved it and you saved me, so don't cry Princess" I said trying to sound consoling despite my gruff voice.

"That was the first life I took, I even felt when his life was extinguished it was a horrible feeling how can you ever live after you've killed a pony?" she asked in sorrow. I sat down whilst still holding her head and sighed. "I thought that being a Princess you'd be accustomed to death but the if you want to know how to deal with it you can't, it will stay with you as baggage for the rest of your life" I told her.

"But how can I go on, I just can't I k…k…killed that pony" Luna said still crying hard. The situation was already tense but I thought of an idea to help wash some of the guilt away. "Do you know why I was dis-charged from the guard Luna"? "No" she sniffed. "Well it was because I wouldn't drop my sword when they attempted to take it away officially but it was also because of somepony else that I covered for" I told her, revealing a deep secret which I had told nopony before.

"Why and who were you covering for" she asked curiously despite the tears that still flowed. "I was covering for the pony you saw in my dream, you see she stole something that was very precious to Celestia and if I hadn't covered for her she would have been locked up" I told her.

She sniffed and after a pause asked "What does this have to do with killing"? I rubbed my eyes and gulped slightly and said in a sorrowful voice "I killed that pony and I've had to live with that fact for years and I wasn't a strong pony like you Luna I simply took to Cider and tried to poison myself slowly till one morning I woke up dead but your more than this, you're a Princess and have a sister and a Kingdom which is in danger which is why you have to hang up your grief and carry on" I said shaking her softly.

She sniffed a little and looked up at me appreciatively but also pitifully. "Ok then let's go" she said and I helped her to stand up. I told her to go wait by a tree while I made sure the bandit was out of sight and hadn't got any useful gear on him.

I searched his pockets and found some trinkets and gold bits, the gold which I took the rings which I took and put in my saddle bag. I found and old rusty dagger in his belt and the wire he'd use to choke me which I discarded. He had a book titled "Are you a Sociopath" which came from the city of Canterlot Library (which opened up questions as to how e obtained it) and finally some food packs which could last for up to three days.

It was quite lucky in a way to be finding these but looking over at Luna's downcast face I couldn't help but feel anger boiling up inside me for what he wanted…would have done had she not shot him. I could still taste him blood on my lips and despite the foul taste of meat I was glad he had suffered a little before he had died.

"Ok Princess let's go" I said, "we should be at the edge of the Everfree and then a day's walk to Dodge City, however since the word that I might have tried to kill fake Princess Luna and almost killed Celestia might have already reached this far we're going to take five days to reach the bad lands and from there find the mountain that you need to find to recharge your powers or something" I said.

Luna picked her head and with a lot of strength for such a young mare (despite the thousand year imprisonment) began trotting again although somewhat quieter. I followed along; pointing out which direction to go in and keeping quiet for the following hours…she really needed time now.

So we walked without further interruption from bandits or wild beats and mercifully the forest remained peaceful and quiet. We reached the river which flowed all the way to Horseshoe Bay and stopped to fill a canteen I had brought and rest for a while before we pressed on.

Hours turned to minutes and soon it was dark and Luna was more vibrant than before although still tired from the long walk she had done. "There's a secluded patch hidden by trees about half a mile from here Princess, I think we should stop there for tonight" I said and she nodded.

So we stopped and ate some of the thieves' rations although Luna barely touched hers despite a thousand years of hunger and instead nestled down to sleep. I couldn't help but sigh, she didn't really deserve any of this, despite the fact her mind and soul had been active for a thousand years her body and mind hadn't been able to grow any further and although I couldn't recall much about the Legend of Nightmare Moon or Luna before she'd been framed I knew that she had played a significant role with her sister in the unification of Equestria and its Empire. The fact she raised and set the moon was also a big thing and I could see she longed to control it like she used to instead of Clearwater who was probably on her throne right now laughing to herself.

I was angry with everypony. The mare who'd promised me my wife and riches who had lied to me, Celestia who despite twenty loyal years of dedicated service had cast me out quickly like a piece of trash, the bandit who had nearly killed me and done worse to Luna and finally myself for letting it all happen. In my younger days when I was fit and in shaped I could have taken that bandit out in a jiffy and carry Luna all the way to Baltimare but now I struggled when I was carrying her from the castle and I nearly died of the bandits hoof.

I could still taste the metallic taste of blood inside my mouth…it tasted wrong. I had long ago lost my hat and my jacket was stained with blood since we were on the edge of the forest I didn't want to light a fire and for that Luna shivered as she slept. She was having another nightmare, probably about what had happened today and although most of my care had dried up with the death of my wife I took off my suit jacket and placed it on her.

She stopped shivering, which made me smile but now she was tossing and turning as something greatly disturbed her dreams. Had I had the power I might have nipped into her head and consoled her but that wasn't an option for a boring old Earth Pony.

However that didn't mean that I couldn't get up and do something productive. I got up and walked over to a nearby tree and looked up at the branch which I could just reach if I jumped. I jumped up and caught it with my fore hooves. I tried not to make too much noise and wake Luna up and proceeded to do some chin ups.

However after six I began to lose all strength in my limbs which caused me to fall flat on my back very noisily, stirring Luna slightly. "Ow" I whispered aloud and slowly got up, rubbing my back as I went. I wasn't going to be beaten by this tree however and I once again tried to beat my record.

I went on like this for about two hours and by the end of I was tired and sore but still happy. At the end I had fallen fifty times but I got to the record of thirty-chin ups. I wiped the sweat from my face and drank a little water slowly when I noticed that something seemed to move in the forest.

I stood up slowly, drawing my sword and striding lightly towards the forest. Suddenly I was hit by a flash of white light and the ground below me changed and got hard, grass turned to stone and the trees turned into poles, my vision blurred slightly and suddenly I was back in the clearing feeling nauseous and just like in the castle dizzy.

These were just stress induced delusions I told myself and thought nothing more about it and decided I should sit down and keep watch over Luna and the camp all night. So I stayed there and thought about the future and what it held in store.

All sorts of desert creatures and even dragons roamed in the Bad Lands which held many bad secrets I'd heard. Celestia was pretty much against us now and in Clearwater's pocket and although she hadn't seen Clearwater's form which was actually Luna it was still dangerous to travel together.

Traveling apart might be safer but when I thought about today and all that had occurred I didn't think it would be wise to let Luna go striding off into the wilderness and deserts without a protector despite how I wasn't getting paid or rewarded in any way except to be a good Samaritan.

I remembered the deal I'd originally made with the strange mare who'd come to my office. Maybe after five days she'd send bounty hunters or maybe she already had figured out I'd not be giving Clearwater over. Even so I didn't care, she was lying anyway even the real Clearwater didn't have the power of life…no, the only power anypony seemed to have was death but it was stalemate there because I had the same power and now so did Luna which added to my list of regrets in my life.


	7. An Unexpected Stop

**An Unexpected Stop and an Unexpected Friend**

"But I don't understand, how are they supposed to work I mean I don't see how the wheels could balance on these straight metal things, it makes no sense" said Luna as she stepped multiple times on the railroad tracks and tapped them a couple of times as she examined the rails.

"No the wheels don't exactly work like that, instead they kind of slot into the rail and the wheel runs along it, that's why it doesn't require much control or concentration and can go really fast without fear of crashing or making a mistake" I explained as I waited for her to finish her curious little investigation.

"But it can't be that full proof!" she exclaimed as she put her ear to the cold metal. "Well no, some trains have been known to derail sometimes if there is an obstruction or if they're going to fast but generally these things are pretty efficient" I said.

"I would love an opportunity to actually see a train in action" said Luna quite longingly considering it was just a hunk of metal. "Well it's not that exciting, mostly metal and steam but I guess some ponies know more about how it works but for me it will always be a way to get from A to B" I told her as I began to walk away from the track.

"Well if it took a thousand years to create such an amazing contraption there must be more technology that you have yet to explain to me" said Luna as she caught me up and followed with my brisk walking pace. She looked better than she did two days ago in the forest and now that we had traversed half the desert and ahead of schedule she got a lot more talkative which was a problem since generally I wasn't a very knowledgeable pony about anything other than how a sword worked.

"Hay…did I um tell you about the…the gas stove already" I asked hoping I hadn't but I was dismayed when she nodded and my shoulders sunk. "Shouldn't you be thinking of like a plan to take back your crown or something Princess I mean I remember that there were stories of you and your sister in the library" I said and Luna instead jumped to that topic, asking "What kind of tales weave of me"?

"Oh I don't know, hay I didn't really know there was a connection between you, Celestia and Nightmare Moon until the castle and even now I'm struggling to make sense of what six other ponies were doing there and blasting her with rainbow magic and then her pretending to be defeated, I'm just a Guard give me something to protect and I'll do it fine" I complained not knowing what to say.

"Oh there are stories about me and Celestia before my wrongful imprisonment for instance how about the tale of how we defeated Discord?" she asked but I shook my head and she grimaced offering "How we helped in the Unification of the three tribes?" I frowned and thought a minute before asking "that's the one with the winter spirit things and stuff correct"? Luna just frowned and said "I'm not even going to bother with the invention of the telescope".

I sighed wishing I could be better company but then I remembered her Cutie Mark and asked "Why is it that despite you and Clearwater changed bodies you retained your cutie mark"? Luna chuckled and explained "Well despite changing the bodies around successfully a pony can't change their true selves and even Clearwater can't which is why she's probably going to struggle keeping it a secret if she's hiding right under my sister's nose".

I think I understood since I remember what it was like getting my cutie mark. "What does your cutie mark symbolise anyway Captain?" asked Luna as if she was reading my thought (wasn't quite sure if she was). "Oh well you know the standard for a guard really you go to school you defend somepony and ta-da you've got yourself a cutie mark" I told her but she didn't except the explanation, stating "But what does the fire symbolise I mean there's a sword there for defence sure but what does the fire mean"?

I sighed and explained "Well when I got my mark I was defending some filly from some other colt and his friends who were doing the typical bully thing". Luna simply nodded and asked "So that's the defence past so what's the fire"? "Well my parents and teachers believed it was vengeance since instead of stopping when he was down I lay into him and broke three of his teeth and gave his buddies black eyes" I explained in a somewhat embarrassed tone.

Luna was silent for a moment before asking "What did the kid do"? I coughed as I said "He broke the doll her mother had given her". Luna now understanding my Cutie Mark was mercifully silent for a full twenty seconds before she asked "Does Tia still like cake"?

I was about to sigh but I held in a breath as I stopped walking and looked down at some shiny object which was on the ground which was all shiny and black. At first it looked to be a smooth rock but upon leaning down to touch this strange object it uncurled itself and was revealed to be a black scorpion.

I quickly made to withdraw my hoof but I was too late and its unmerciful tail coiled out and swung back with the force of lightening, stinging me on the hoof. I didn't scream or say anything; I just looked at the big welt on my hoof and remembered the Guard Training Manual Poison Section.

**Upon the poison being injected into the blood stream by a black scorpion, the pony will have about forty seconds before they are paralyzed and in the case of the white scorpion forty seconds and then three minutes to death, however the black scorpion has an antidote which must be administered within twenty-four hours or death will also occur and in that time it is good to note that the pony will be in agony.**

That section of the manual flooded into my brain in about a second and I quickly turned round and grabbed Luna by the hooves and quickly told her "Luna I've been poisoned and there's no time, I have about a day you need to go on without me I'll slow you down, get to Dodge you must take my stuff I won't be able to move soon".

Luna was taken aback by this sudden outburst and she asked "What poison I don't understand"? "It's poison of the black Scorpion and I'll be paralyzed pretty son, you have to take my bags, there are mercanaries in dodge that know my name tell them it and show them a lot of bit and they'll get you to the Bad lands, leave me I will slow you down" I explained again as I began to sweat profusely.

"I'm not leaving you, it was the deal that you got me to the Northern Mountains and I keep my deals" she told me in defiance but I began to protest saying "You ca…." but suddenly my mouth stopped moving and I collapsed, taking Luna with me.

I had about three seconds to get used to the numbing paralysation when suddenly the pain started. My muscles began to convulse on their own as I began spasm but I could barely feel them so it was merciful however my mind felt like it had caught fire and If I could I'm sure I would have screamed.

"Captain, what do I do I can't…I don't" I heard Luna say faintly before I passed out and instead of dreaming everything went nice and black. I could hear Luna faintly calling my name but it was lost in the embracing darkness which in a way comforted me more than any medicine could.

An eternity could have passed in the darkness for all I knew but suddenly I saw light and a syringe and somepony calling "Ok it's in, you are lucky you got him just in time". "Yeah well knock him out Thorne bush" said some other gruffer Pony and suddenly I felt something scrunch against my head and my hearing went back to silence.

I began to stir however and wished that I hadn't as I was hit with a raging headache which threatened to make my brain explode and squish all over any object near it. If this was meant to be heaven then I wasn't impressed and if it was hell I was even more disappointed.

I groaned as I made to get up and off of the cold hard surface I was lying on. I don't know how I'd survived but my guess was that Luna had totally gone and saved me which was against what I'd said and now I was going to have to thank her.

However as I pulled my back legs up I was slowed down by a heavy clanking object attached to my back right hoof. I cracked my dry eyes open and was immediately hit by rays of merciless sunlight which felt like they were burning my eyes out of their sockets. I looked down at my hoof and immediately saw what the problem was.

There was a concrete ball and chain attached to and as I looked around partially blurry room I saw lots of concrete and bars which led me and my great investigation skills to deduce that I was incarcerated in a prison. This might also explain why I had one heck of a headache.

"Well howdy there partner thought you were dead when they dragged you in here, weren't breathing much and by the way you have a very nasty gash on your head and your mane looks like you washed it in blood so just wanted you to know that it wasn't me and If I ever robbed you no hard feelings" came an arrogant Western voice from behind me so suddenly and loudly that I flinched and fell over.

"Yeah I have that effect on ponies, name's Slick Pick" said the voice which belonged to a pony who was cast in shadow in the corner of the cell we seemed to be sharing with a cowboy hat similar to the one that orange mare had been wearing in Ponyville but a bit more masculine.

"Backwater" I said as I slowly got up a sat down on the bench I'd been sleeping on before. "Do you know how I got here? Why I'm in here?" I asked him as I rubbed my head and groaned in pain. "Well I think that poster over there might have something to do with it" said the pony and I looked to the outside bars of the cell where a small desk was and a few Wanted posters were pinned up.

Unfortunately I was too disorientated to read them so the arrogant Pony (whose voice got on my nerves) kindly obliged reading "P.I Backwater wanted for the attempted murder of Princess Celestia and the recently restored Princess Luna and a haystack load of bits in the reward section".

I groaned and looked over at my new temporary friend. "So Mr Pick I'm guessing you're a thief then?" I asked and he came out of the shadow and revealed himself to be a dark reddish pony with bright blonde mane and an arrogant look in his golden eyes which spoke his character more than a full detailed report ever could.

"Why me…a thief?" he asked as if I'd made a stain on his honour. "You sir insult me, I am an artist at what I do, I can pick any lock and break any vault hay I don't even need some fancy horn to do it nope just the brains and brawn of an Earth Pony" he said proudly.

I wasn't surprised when I saw his Cutie Mark was gold and a set of lock picks in some kind of coat of arms but to me he just spelled young and arrogant thief the kind I despised. "You're a thief who steals and by the looks of it gets caught easily" I said but he shook his head in denial stating "nonsense I just like putting my lock picking skills to the test, so I take the odd diamond necklace now and then big deal".

"Besides you're an assassin, don't get many of them around nowadays al murder in Equestria is hushed up and allowed if it's done quietly and the pony never turns up floating in the parks pond" said the Pick, pointing a hoof at me.

"I was framed" I said, realising it was the most stereotypical thing to say and Pick replied "Weren't we all, I didn't mean to take that golden horseshoe I just happened to stumble upon in the Mayor's Safe in her Safe Room in the bank no I was framed by my evil twin!" mocked Pick in a very cackled voice.

"Well look what finally woke up" came the voice of a pony that was the colour of chestnuts and had a greying mane and brown jacket with a golden star pinned to it. "I'm Sherriff Justice of Dodge City and you boy are going to be my ticket out of here boy" he said as he paced the outside of the cage I was in. When that little lady brought you in off the tracks with absolutely no weapons and showing up almost dead I recognised you from the poster and had the local doc fix you up before my boy Deputy Thorn stomped your light out" he said whilst he chewed what looked like nicotine gum.

"Well Sheriff as much as the odds are against me and the fact that you are the law of this town and have to follow what Celestia has decreed I am telling you that it is all lies and that Princess Luna is actually an ancient imposter who wants the throne for herself" I said putting the wacky in the art of on the spot story conjuring despite this one being real.

"Whatever boy, all I know is that when those guards show up in an hour and take you away I'll get an award and so many bits I can retire to somewhere nice and calm like Ponyville and buy that Apple Farm I've had my eye on for the last ten years" he said actually licking his lips as if he could taste the money.

"But sir you can't" I began but he stormed over to my cell hit me square in the stomach through the bars. "Don't go telling what I can and can't do boy oh and Pick don't you dare escape again or I'll beat your ass so bad you're going to want to never see another diamond ring again" he said menacingly as I collapsed to the floor in pain.

"You got it boss" said Pick with a tip of his hat. With that the Sheriff started whistling and walked out of the Prison and I was left on the floor in a ball clutching my stomach. "I think that went well, you caught him on a good day" said Pick.

"Yeah whatever kid" I said as I got up and brushed myself down. Pick looked at me and said "You don't look like the murdering type of pony you know, did he mention a mare brought you here" he asked and I said "Yeah her names Luna and she is very good at ignoring what I tell her not to do" I said as I strode over and shook the bars.

"So she's your wife" he asked looking at me with slight begging in his eyes. "No she's not and no she's not my age either" I said as I went and sat down on the bench once more. "Well then, if this mare is your friend then I always wanted to help a damsel in distress so how bout we get on out of here" he said in a rather optimistic voice to which I replied "How you need a pick and…" he stopped me when he showed me the Sheriff's badge.

"How did you?" I began but he stopped me by explaining "I'm darned right good at taking things from people when they're looking the other way too, just like picking a lock you have to be delicate he said as he slid the needle of the badge into the locking mechanism and after twiddling around for five seconds decreed the door is now open.

I at first thought he was making a very non-funny joke but when the door swung open I just looked him up and down. He gave a rather arrogant smile and I said "For a start she's way out of your league and once more she might look young but she's over a thousand years old" I said as I pushed the door which creaked open and stepped out into the Sheriff's Office.

Pick looked down for a minute but said "I've always loved puzzles so let's see if I can solve this one and following me out of the station. Before we left I took some hanging keys from the wall and unlocked the concrete ball from my hoof and then his before I kicked the doors open and stepped into the city of Dodge.


	8. Runaway Train

**Runaway Train**

I didn't remember it being so bright but the western town must have been having a heat wave judging by the intense mirages that were everywhere. A lot of the citizens were too hot to go about their business it seemed and rested on the porches of the wooden structured buildings which seemed to make up the majority of the town.

Indeed the only stone buildings must have been the jail and town hall which stood overlooking a large sandy square where various pony carts went about their business. Beyond the city I saw acres of cherry trees and further beyond that a green landscape which I remembered as being some kind of old swamp.

I looked back and saw Pick was right behind me and squinting in the hot afternoon sun. "So you said there was a thousand year old beauty somewhere nearby" he remarked and I was about to tell him to go back and wait in the jail but at that moment something there their hooves around me and hugged me tight.

"Captain I've never been so glad to see you, you almost died but I got you onto the train that stopped for me and then after they healed you they took you away, I hid your gear in the train station's bathroom and by the way trains are incredible" she began talking really fast but I hushed her saying "We have to go, the Royal Guard will be showing up here in under an hour and the Sheriff is still loose on the town" I said as I turned to Pick and said "Go back into the cell and pretend I made you pick the lock, I don't need some kid with a life sentence around my neck".

"Who's this Captain?" asked Luna as she just realised Pick was standing there. I didn't know if Pick had some kind of mental problem but he was staring at Luna quite dumbly with his tongue hanging out. "This is nopony, just a thief who helped me get out of jail and who should be going now" I said turning to Pick who still hadn't regained his composure until an angry sounding voice called "No I think Pick here should stay a while and get acquainted with you two seeing as he is now an accomplice".

The Sheriff was standing in the town's centre with his deputy who was a pure black pony with jet black hair and equally black eyes. They were both holding what appeared to be crossbows and had them levelled at the three of us whilst the ponies and in fact the entire town all stopped and stared from their porches.

"Listen here Sheriff Justice, this is only me, the girl and the kid are all just ponies I tricked into helping me escape" I said and the Sheriff laughed saying "Hay boy I knew Slick there would open the door for you and assisting an enemy of the Empire would earn that little nuisance a life sentence but as for the little lady over there, well I'm more disappointed than I am surprised but I'm sure I the guards will want any collaborators so more money for me and more tears for you".

I looked at the two grinning figures and particularly at the pony who'd kicked me, asking "What about you son, think this old lying cheat will share my reward money"? The pony spoke in a thick and almost demonic voice stating "Oh I'm just in it for the fun and the position once old Justice hangs up his coat and badge".

"Yep Thorn Bush here I think will treat dodge with a much better view than I had upon arriving here when the city first started, maybe he'll finally put the meaning of the word law into practice" said Justice as he and Thorn kept one hoof on their Crossbow's and advanced towards us.

"Now turn your back hooves up, head down on the floor so that when the guard arrive we can do this little transition peacefully and quietly" said the Sherriff as he walked closer and closer towards us with his boots clanking as he went.

"Do as he says" I told the two and Pick (who seemed quite obedient and less cocky with a crossbow in his face) obliged and began to kneel. Luna however did completely the opposite and before I or the Sheriff knew what was happening she'd spun round and drawn my crossbow from what looked like my saddle bag and she aimed and fire right at Deputy Thorn. Her aim and the fact that it takes practice even for a well-trained soldier to use a crossbow to its maximum effect was against her since she hadn't trained with one before but maybe having a hoof in the invention of the device helped since the sleeper dart flew straight and true into the eye of the deputy.

Like it or not, the dart still had a metal needle on the end and before he was knocked out he had time to scream as he lost his left eye for good. "Shit" the Sheriff yelled and leased a bolt which flew through the air and embedded itself into the rocking chair of an elderly pony who cried out in fright.

Suddenly the town was all screaming and the Sheriff who had the odds against him quickly stumbled for a secondary arrow on his side quiver which he obviously couldn't load with the crossbow's heavy draw weight. I leapt up and through the air, taking it as a moment to strike and I landed right on him and began to hit him with everything I'd got.

"Should have taken me in dead" I told him as I grabbed his badge from where Pick had dropped it when the fighting began and shoved it down his throat. I held his nose as he began to choke and said "Maybe you can govern the pits of hell" I yelled as he began to fight for life. "Stop it Captain!" yelled Luna so suddenly that I let go and he spat the badge out and coughed for air.

I stumbled off him and looked, shocked at myself for doing such things to a pony. "I didn't…I…" I began to stumble but suddenly my eye caught something far off in the distance, it sparkled and was shining in the hot sun and although it may have been a mirage I wasn't going to take the chance. "We need to move now" I yelled, getting up and looking around Dodge.

Luna offered me my crossbow but I denied saying "you keep it, I was never good with it anyway. I tried to remember the layout of Dodge from maps I'd previously studied but unfortunately my memory couldn't quite place them.

"How do we get to the train station" I asked Pick quickly but he was still on the floor and staring at Thorn. "He's not dead he's just knocked out and by the looks of it missing an eye" I said and pulled the kid up onto his hooves. He looked at me with a scared look in his eye and gulped.

"I…I don't want to die sir…I just want to live" he said looking like he was going to cry. "Well you collaborated with me and now that means you will probably end up dead unless you tell me where the train station is right now" I yelled shaking him as my eye spied the shining object getting closer.

Pick paused for a second before he tightened his hat around his head and took off in a run saying "this way" and causing us all to gallop after him. The citizens of dodge were still panicking and as we got into the station we were met by a great big and ugly train which read **Appleloosa** on its side. It was obviously a freight train and by the looks of it, it was geared up to travel.

"What do we do now, they won't let us buy tickets" whimpered Pick and Luna looked at me in a way a trapped rabbit would but I said something absolutely absurd sounding "We're going to hijack the train and drive it until we're far away from Dodge".

Pick looked at me like I was mad but Luna said "Sounds like the best plan for the moment where do we start"? "In the Engine, we've got to figure a way to get it going I said, charging to the front. Luckily there was a Driver who was whistling away to himself when he saw the three of us charge into the compartment. "How does this thing go" shouted Luna, pointing the crossbow (which wasn't even loaded since the small bolts were in my bag) at his face and looking as menacing as she could which was good since she literally had the face of a murderer.

The Driver began to explain what Luna asked and I grabbed Pick, saying "Run to the bathroom and find some bags which Luna has hidden, then bring them back here and be quick about it". Pick looked like he wanted to say something but seeing my expression he didn't complain and instead galloped as fast as he could towards the small stations bathroom.

I checked the Sky and saw that a sky chariot with six guards and pulled by four and followed by five other guards, all Pegasi and all carrying weapons. They must have noticed that something was up because they had descended rapidly and begun to spread out quick.

Pick charged back into the train Engine just as Luna uttered "thank you and gestured for the Driver to get out of the train. The Driver edged out of the train and upon touching the platforms he ran for it. Luna looked up at me and the panting Pick with all our stuff and instructed "Ok we need to keep shovelling coal into the Engine in order to generate the power for this beast, the more coal the more power and the faster we go, I think I can drive this thing but I'll pretty much need a constant stream of coal" she said.

"Pick boy, you will shovel the coal and I'll defend us from danger" I said as I looked up at the sky. "Whoa now, I'm leaving I don't want to die I…" but he was cut off when a bolt thudded into the metal above his head and he picked up a nearby shovel and cried "Ok I'll do it, please get us out of here"!

Luna happily obliged and threw a lever with al her strength. The train juddered forwards a few metres and the two Pegasi who'd shot at us landed and charged towards the train. I drew my sword from the packs which were dumped by the boiler and as the first guard reached us. I swung my sword against his but he parried and went to counter so I dodged and swung again and he side stepped into the side of the train which was beginning to move, causing him to fall over and slam his head into the ground.

An audible scrunch was heard and I couldn't help but go "ooh" as the platform slowly at first disappeared and left the second guard standing alone and calling for backup. Soon we began to speed up but so did the guards who were all converging on the railway station now.

"Luna faster, they're going to catch us up soon!" I yelled but she cried "It won't go any faster than this, it's a freight train it's heavy and needs to gather momentum first" she yelled back as the chug of the train roared in our ears.

"Pick, stay here and keep shovelling coal, Luna use the crossbow if you need to the ammo is in my saddle bag" I said as I got my sword's scabbard and fitted it over my back before putting my hoof outside the train and onto the roof of the train.

"What the hay are you doing?" asked Pick as he shovelled coal for dear life. "Going to buy us time" I said as I disappeared from view and with a huge burst of strength (which was quite good for a pony that'd been kicked in the head) I pulled myself onto the train's roof.

There were about ten carriages slowing us down and from this position with the smoke blowing from the funnel and stinging my eyes I could make out six fast Pegasi who'd probably been reserve and a few others who must have tired their wings from flying a little further away.

I moved down the train carriages, jumping across the gaps as I went until I was on the edge of the train. The first Pegasi landed a carriage ahead of me and charged toward me with his sword raised. I used the momentum of the young guard who wasn't cut out for attacking but defending and simply side stepped and watched him fall off the train and fly across the ground.

Painful and definitely broken bones but at least he was alive. However my small victory was cut short when another four Pegasi caught me up and landed on the train. Two were in front of me whilst two came from behind all carrying swords and all with the same stoic expression I'd learned to adopt years ago.

However despite their crisp and fearless look they hesitated despite having me surrounded so I taunted "Come on, I haven't got all day"! The nearest guard charged, sword rose with an almost perfect execution, however it wasn't good enough and I blocked his strike and stabbed him in his side.

I was about to nock his helmet off with the hilt of my sword but I had to defend my flank from another strike as the other three converged on me. I certainly had my plate full and I became just a machine which was losing against younger less experienced ones but still younger and well oiled.

I sliced the leg of another guard who collapsed in pain but to his credit got up once more and resumed trying to take my head off. I stabbed the pony I'd first attacked in the stomach and he crumpled and fell of the train. The wound wasn't deep but he was out of the game and possibly for some time. The other three attacked with a lot of fury now and I let my right guard down and received a slice on my left fore-hoof for my mistake.

I fell over and to my surprise kept going, crashing through the wooden ceiling of the train car I was on and landing in a pile of red rock candy. That was at least what I thought it was until I saw TNT written on a bar of it. I quickly picked it up with my mouth and looked up just in time to block the sword which sliced down as a guard through himself through the hole in the roof.

I began to back away one car at a time, trying to see how loud the clang of my sword could go before it snapped from the force we were both hitting each other with. At one part of the train where the carriages joined I'd had enough and using the hilt of my sword I first kicked him in the chest and hit him in the head with all my force, denting his helmet and sending him tumbling off the train.

I took a second to breathe but was denied the reward when I heard a very girlish scream from the Engine. I charged through the carriages, practically kicking down all the doors to reach the engine. Upon reaching the engine I just saw Pick smash the head of a Guard who'd been on the roof whilst Luna shot another guard point blank in the chest with the crossbow.

They both fell off the train and I could see they were both thoroughly surprised as well as me that these two normal and a bit scrawny civilians could actually fight to some degree, at least enough to get rid of them. "Where were you?" asked Luna as she threw another control and Pick resumed shovelling in more coal to the hungry beast.

"Nowhere" I mumbled through the dynamite in my mouth. "Anyway I can't get us any faster, if we hadn't got so much weight then maybe I could double our speed but…what is that in your mouth" she asked and I spat out the stick of TNT.

"This err thing is an explosive, a bit like destructive magic I could use it sever the cars halfway along the train" I suggested and Luna nodded saying "If you can control it then yes do it but Pick protested "You want to blow us up after we've just survived that attack"? "Yes" I yelled as the train roared along the lines.

I put the fuse into the flames of the boiler before I once more climbed back atop the train carriage and ran towards the halfway train marker. However the final Pegasus who was so tired he couldn't even fly straight anymore materialised out of nowhere and revealed to be carrying a Guard with a horn on his head.

The Unicorn leapt from his back and he gratefully tumbled into the dust along with his comrades. "Drop the dynamite of the train and put your hands up before I take you down" shouted the Unicorn whose face was covered by his helmet.

Although I had seen Unicorn's use magic on other before and knew that no matter what experience I had I'd lose this fight so I said "Ok" and threw the stick into the couplings in the centre of the train. The Unicorn was distracted long enough for me to lunge at him and buck him in the stomach before ripping his helmet off and seeing who it could be.

It was Shining Armour, the son of a bitch who'd stolen my job and brother to Twilight. "I'm taking you in he said and his horn shone suddenly and attempted to levitate me but something happened and Shining Armour suddenly held his head as he cried in pain. "Wrong, go back to Canterlot and study Luna, she isn't right and never bother me again" I said as I booted him off the train and ran for it, knowing I only had a few seconds until the TNT exploded.

I dived into the Engine as the train was rocked and we all held on as we sped up considerably and looking back I saw that although we were on fire the other carriages had completely exploded and de-railed, blocking any trains which might want to follow.

"I want to go home" cried Pick as he shovelled coal harder and I groaned "Don't we all whilst Luna for some reason was looking very happy despite the fact we'd just been In a heated battle against some well-trained foes.

"Why are you smiling?" I asked quizzically. "I'm…driving…a train!" she cried happily whilst gesturing around the Engine room which contained bits of burnt carriage some blood, a dented helmet and a filthy and crying Pick.

"I'm too old for this stuff" I said as I leaned back against a pile of coal.


	9. Night Moves

**Night Moves**

"So you say you're a Princess then wouldn't you have a crown or something to prove or some kind of Royal seal" asked Pick, leaning against a box of carrots to steady himself from the light sway of the train car as the train powered on through the night.

"Listen Pick she's in a different body and was convicted a murderer of course nopony is going to listen to her" I responded but Luna put her hoof up saying "Actually that's a good point, if I can talk to my sister for long enough then perhaps I can at least convince her that something is wrong". "Well you can thank me for the idea later" said Pick with a once more arrogant grin and vocal tone which maybe would've had some effect on Luna had she not seen him crying mama five hours ago".

"I think I'll take first watch" said Luna as she headed for the Engine but I dis-agreed saying "I don't want you all alone in the Engine all by yourself, you could be overpowered and killed easily" I said but she waved her hoof saying "Relax I'll scream just like Pick did today when we were being attacked before". "Wait that was Pick" I said looking at the young stallion who had suddenly turned tomato red. "Well my mama did always say I had a great singing voice".

Luna smiled a bit and opened the carriage door to head for the Engine Room. I headed off too but before leaving I looked at Pick and warned "Don't touch anything dangerous, get some sleep and if you need help scream". "Very funny" he shouted as I closed the carriage's door and headed over to Luna who was shovelling some coal for the boiler.

"Hey I should do that" I protested but when I tried to take the shovel off of her she pushed me aside. I could tell she had developed a certain frustrated tension towards me and I thought I knew why. "Listen Luna…about today…with the Sheriff I never meant to lose control like that but he just made me so angry, how he abused his power and pointed those Crossbow's at us" I said sincerely.

"It's not that you over reacted in the heat of the moment Captain!" she interrupted loudly, cutting me off in my apology. I was puzzled, had I done something else wrong? Maybe she hated Pick and objected to him being in the line of fire?

"It's not that you over reacted" she continued "It's the fact that while you were doing it I looked up into you deep brown eyes" she said as she began to shovel coal faster and faster (quite difficult since she was still pretty scrawny". "I don't understand" I said sitting down on a pile of coal and looking at her.

She stopped shovelling coal and sighed before she plunged the shovel into the coal mound and pressed the tip of her hoof into my chest. "I cannot say I've walked Equestria for a thousand years, no quite the contrary actually but as you may have noticed from my scars and the quantity of them I was quite badly beaten when they arrested me and despite my protests locked me up in that prison and muzzled me like a rabid dog" she said angrily looking at me.

"Now since this was a thousand years ago things were a little different, sure love and friendship had spread across the land but old ways die hard and my sister, enraged at how our mentor had been killed ordered along with Clearwater who'd relished in this order to torture me for any information I might have that could be against the crown" she said and I looked across her scarred body in shock as she explained "I was young at the time and kept begging to be set free by my torturers, to see my sister but no they said that Princess Luna had ordered them specially to hold nothing back and they didn't believe me, for six months they tortured me and did such unspeakable things that I begged for death so often that eventually they told me it would be granted" she was crying now, tears streaming down her eyes as she poured out a story that if ever shown to public would cause riots and revolts.

"That was the last time I saw them however, they too everything with them and left me in that magical chamber to rot for a thousand years and I kept count every single day, I went mad multiple times, I cried until water was too low for my body to replenish and I called help so much that I screamed myself horse but then my cell opened one day and I saw you, your eyes were like they were now, kind but with so much pain and lots of cautiousness inside" she said as she looked me straight into my own watering eyes.

"Luna…I" but I couldn't even continue I was so shocked, it was the most despicable thing I'd ever heard of and yet this mare be her a Princess or not was only a filly at the time and had then been abandoned to die was still going strong.

"I saw you with the Sheriff…when you were choking him to death and your eyes were like my torturers… cold, wicked and with a sense of almost pleasure from causing the pain of another pony it…it made me feel like you were my enemy back then" she said as she wiped her red eyes and looked at me deeply.

"Luna I don't know what happened I just lost control it's just so hard" I told her, beginning my own sad tale although mine had less physical pain in it. "I told you once about that mare I killed right?" I asked and she nodded her head. "Well…she was my wife" I said as I let the story spill out.

However I couldn't continue nor see her expression for at that exact moment there was a huge CRASH and the whole world shook and rolled as the train got de-railed. Luna was thrown out of the train and into the night but I stayed inside the hull of the now great and crashing beast as it flipped over and over.

Eventually the train crashed onto its side where it rested and looking up at the blur the world had become I saw what looked like the flickering image of that mare who'd given me Clearwater's contract just five days ago. "Times up" was all I heard before I blacked out and she disappeared.

I couldn't have been long because when I woke up the dust was still settling from the crash. I stood up and winced as I felt every muscle in my body want to give up. I was cut and bruised badly but I knew that I had to check on the others, they might need my help and nopony was going to die on my watch. I staggered up and drew my sword, we might have been de-railed or we might have been attacked wither way I felt better when holding it in my hands.

I opened the door to the carriage and shouted "Kid, you in here"? There was a groan and his hoof shot up from under a pile of carrots. "Can you walk" I asked and he yelled back "Think so, what happened"? "Don't know maybe we crashed let me check to see if we're still on the rails" I said sarcastically, spinning round and climbing out to the top of the train.

All around I could see that we were surrounded by White Mountains but we were still very much in desert territory and it was still very much hot and now dark too. I broke off a train handle and tore of a piece of my suit sleeve and wrapped it around it. Then I thrust the stick into the dying boiler and went in search of Luna.

"Princess, where are you?" I called but there was no answer, except for a chilling wind which had decided to come along. I limped to the side of the rails where we'd de-railed and saw a heavy boulder painted with ancient lie markings. It was obvious that the native buffalo had done this. I'd read that in these parts they despised ponies and tried to sabotage their things without actually hurting or killing somepony but this seemed a bit extreme even for them.

"Tia doesn't, wouldn't, couldn't you can't do it" I heard a weak voice protest and looking down I saw that Luna was practically next to me by the tracks. The wind began to get up as I looked her over, shaking her roughly and repeating Luna, Luna, Luna" over and over. She wasn't unconscious by the look of her eyes; in fact by the way her eyelids flashed it seemed she was dreaming intensely about something.

I sheathed my sword and scooped her up, putting her over my back and proceeding forwards, back to the train and shelter from the wind which was beginning to get really strong. However as I pushed on, my torch went out and every movement felt like moving through warm oil" the going was tough but eventually I saw a faint light and the train's centre light flickering on and off.

I pushed Luna up and then myself before we both fell into the train and landed on Pick. "Ouch, howdy ya'll" he said despite the fact that Luna had unconsciously kicked him in the face. "Pick, we seemed to have been attacked by the natives of the land, we need to be cautious and Luna's out for the count so let's get her into the carriage behind" I told him and he complied.

Once Luna was safely stowed we returned to the Engine and listened in on the storm which was now raging outside. "Not many of those Buffalo come through Dodge but those which did were always interesting and massive I mean they could eat so many cherry pies we actually ran out when four arrived in town" said Pick but I wasn't getting into the conversation.

"Are there supplies and saddlebags back there" I asked cutting off the conversation. "Oh…well yes, this train comes by once every six months and carries all the materials the ponies of Appleoosa might be needing since its mostly isolated by the Macintosh Mountains" answered Pick.

"Right well go get four bags that's two for you and two for Luna and fill one two up with food and water" I told him. "Afterwards bring them in here and don't damage something on your way" I said. "Fine but why can't you do it" he asked but looked up at my bruised face in the small amount of lighting generated by the electric battery which was dying now the train was disabled.

"I didn't have a nice patch of carrots to land in when we crashed" I told him and he raised his hooves in peace and went to get the stuff I ordered. When he was gone I worked quickly, taking a sip from my canteen before pouring the remaining water in it all over the floor. After that I looked into my dishevelled backpack and prayed it was still there.

A bottle of Bourbon Whisky which I'd found a few hours ago and slipped into my bags was still intact and full. It looked like it was being saved above a shelf in the engine room and to my eyes it looked like a bliss painkiller from the stress and terrible memories I was being given and remembering. Since Luna had told me everything about her I knew that I needed this, it was my medicine but I knew Luna would question me if she saw so that's why I'd come up with a shameful plan.

I popped the cork from the bottle and began pouring it quickly into the canteen. I wanted to hurry since Pick was probably finishing up now but when it reached the top there was still some of the pressure fluid inside the bottle. So I screwed the cap on my canteen and hung it around my chest before I looked at the small mouthful in the bottom and took a draft.

"Dang it, none left for me" came Pick as he quickly entered through the door and grabbed the empty bottle from my hands. I coughed and nearly spewed the whisky. "I'm amazed this survived the crash, you bring it along?" asked Pick with an innocent enough look on his face. "No I…found it lying on the floor and since there was only a little I thought as good a time as any right.

Pick nodded his head in agreement to my statement and said "Skies that be true, oh yeah I got the saddlebags, no emblems though they need to be sewn on if you want them personalised" joked Pick and I chuckled half-heartedly along. The kid may have been arrogant but he was certainly not dumb.

I got serious once more however and stared hard into those golden eyes. "Listen Pick, you don't have to be one of us you can leave, take the supplies and head into Appleoosa and get an honest job and hide out you aren't important in this fight they'll ignore you and follow me and Luna" I said, trying to get him out of danger.

"Look I saw you this morning and I know you're a great thief but this is a race against the entire Kingdom to get Luna to the Northern Mountains and If you're going to start crying or bailing halfway through then we'll have to cut you loose, so you have two options you're wither with us or your hiding what'll it be?" I asked looking carefully at his eyes.

He looked a lot more serious now, no joking or laughing just straight stallion to stallion conversation. "Well now sir I don't like the sound of a straight job and despite the prospect of death looking bad you need me, I can pick locks and sneak I just don't fight so well or hold up good in one on one so hay yes I'll come with you and Luna, you ponies showed me adventure and after the taste I want a full portion" he exclaimed excitedly.

His argument seemed solid enough and an extra hoof to at least offer the Princess a decoy or at least pony who could fight pathetically was still help and right now we needed help. "Ok, we're going to be moving out as soon as Luna wakes up and this storm clears up" I said and Pick nodded.

"Where we going?" he asked and I unfurled the map in my saddlebag and pointed to the Bad Lands. Pick whistled and asked "So why are we in Appleoosa, the Macintosh Mountains act as a block between here and the bad lands so how are we going to get across it, especially in storm season"?

This part had me thinking too since going back was no option and climbing the mountain was absurd but a voice from behind said "We won't go over the mountains no…we'll go through it". Luna looked a little worn but other than that she was strangely determined and willing to go.

"Luna are you alright" I asked and she nodded giving me and Pick a small hug and thanking us for being there when nopony else was. "Well it's nothing really Princess I just want to see right over wrong, I might be too old to serve but I'm never too old to protect" I responded. "Yeah and I can't resist a lady in need" said Pick charmingly, earning a cute smile from Luna.

"I cannot think of anything in Equestria that would be better than spending a night in a train with two ponies I hardly know, yet have already shared so much with" she said sarcastically yet kindly and Pick said "No reason to thank me but when you do return to Canterlot and defeat hat evil you or something then make me a count or something, my Momma would be so proud" he chuckled as he most likely imagined himself a count.

"You have got my word" promised Luna and now she turned to me and asked "What is your heart's desire Captain"? I was taken by surprise at the sudden question but I quickly turned bitter when I remembered why I'd set out on this trip in the first place. "If you could bring a Pony back from the dead then that would be nice" I mumbled in the same bitterness I was feeling right now.

The room instantly went cold and humour all died, however the silence was enough for me to be able to detect that the storm was over. "Ok storm's finished, Luna what do you mean by go through the mountains, are there tunnels of a kind" I asked to which she responded "No, but there is a cave which might contain something useful, something that could help us get to my Mountain" she explained.

I jumped out of the train and looked around in the darkness of night. I grabbed the stick I'd used to start a torch a while ago and plunged it into the boiler to relight it. "Ok, so now it's time to move on, the Royal Guard may not be attackers but give them a place to defend and they'll do it with a fanatical look in their eyes" I explained.

"Oh yeah you used to the Captain of these fanatical ponies right?" asked Pick sarcastically but stopped when Luna elbowed him in the ribs. "The fake Princess Luna might be calling the shots now, who knows but from the reports I've read and what I've witnessed she's very cunning, very clever and very dangerous so we move quick and hopefully another storm will come along and clear out hoof prints" I said as I pulled Luna and Pick up and out of the motor.

Pick brushed himself down and got set to go and Luna took one last look at the train before sighing and saying "When I reclaim my throne and sister I'll build a train to honour this one and it will be stunning". I handed them both the saddle bags, then handed Luna her Crossbow before we set west for the Macintosh Mountains.

**…Yay…**


	10. Soul Eater

**Soul Eater**

"You know that growing up I always imagined what snow would be like, since the climate in Dodge is the same gloriously sunny, stiflingly hot and dusty thing year in and year out but now that I am walking through snow, feeling the wind in my mane, looking at my snout turning from red to blue I can say with absolute clarity that I absolutely hate anything but glorious sun, stiflingly hot days and dusty weather" yelled Pick over the roar of wind, complaining for the umpteenth time about how much he hated our little expedition up the Macintosh Mountains and how if he didn't freeze to death he'd be blown off the mountain.

I myself was feeling all the effects which Pick was constantly reminding us about and I was also worried since we weren't kitted to climb a Mountain and neither did we have the food. I was actually considering about telling Luna to turn round and head into Appleoosa and get supplies before climbing the mountain but she insisted that there was some shortcut through the Mountain which would cut the arduous climb by two weeks to three days.

However since it was a thousand years ago and landscapes change Luna was having a tough time remembering the way to the passages and so we'd been forced to climb up and down the Mountain for four days with our food running low and our morale doubly so.

"I can see it now, those Apple Pancakes those Appleoosans make, it's so glorious how they get the blend and sauce right" yelled Pick with a great longing in his voice. Since we were all hungry we were all further deterred from doing anything except going back and probably into a trap so Pick was really making me want to hit him since hunger was killing me.

"Pick it's a miracle that despite the fact I can't feel my legs your tongue hasn't frozen stiff since your mouth never shuts" I yelled in annoyance at Pick who thankfully shut up. It was also difficult to sleep and drink since the canteens had to be warmed up, which required one of lying on it every night when we slept with our bodies, huddled up against one another.

My suit was frozen through, it felt like I was wearing armour and the sight was far worse than anything. It was ripped, burned, covered in suit and completely dishevelled and the only reason I kept it was because it made it easier to conceal my alcohol.

In truth I always felt guilty when I took a drink since in a way it warmed me for some time but then I though how quickly it would go if we all shared it and concealed it again. "Right then, we can carry on, I believe I've found a geographical point of reference that we'll be able to navigate from to the cave we need to reach" yelled Luna, looking back at us from her position at the front of our un-merry band.

"If this cave doesn't have Pancakes I quit" yelled Pick as he slowly ate a frozen carrot with his teeth almost breaking with every crunch. "Luna I agree with Pick, we cannot survive much longer out here unless we either get supplies or get to this cave, are you sure it will still exist after all these years" I yelled but Luna looked away and tried not to look at me although I could tell her face probably held doubt.

So we trudged on, letting all our focus being on reaching wherever Luna was going to if she was going anywhere. I looked up from the snow after twenty minutes and did indeed see a very strange and half buried rock a few hundred metres away from us. Pick also saw it and he voiced my question "What's that over there"?

However as we got closer we saw what looked like a lions paw and a griffon's arm combined with a long neck and a variety of other things all made into a half buried, weathered and ugly statue which looked very much like the one in the gardens of Canterlot.

"That's a Statue of Discord" I yelled and Luna looked back and asked "So you know the story"? I shook my head and Luna looked back, I thought she might not have heard me so I opened my mouth again but instead she came out with another small story about her past. "Discord means Disharmony, he is somewhat of a chaos wielder and like so many other monsters he seems to only want to cause problems and create chaos wherever he goes.

He was somewhat of an annoying figure, when the clans united he turned up and started causing trouble for my sister and I's parents, later though with the elements of Harmony we defeated him and brought Equestria to a state of even greater Unity although I'm not so sure since all I've seen so far is the ruins of my home, forests filled with bandits, a dusty little wooden town and a the cold face of a mountainside!" she yelled as the wind tried with all it's might to stop her from being heard.

"What about the train?" I yelled and Luna thought a minute before yelling "Ok you got me there that was a pretty impressive thing". "Are we nearly there yet" yelled Pick who was practically collapsing in the snow from the lack of his Apple Pancakes. "We need to climb higher still if we're going to get there but only a few hundred metres" shouted Luna.

Climbing up the mountainside was harder than climbing across it since we had to push against the snow to get our hooves grip but now that we had the promise of finally arriving we were a little more encouraged. Suddenly a chill went up my back and I felt a tingle in the air.

Suddenly I heard a slowly increasing whoosh and yelled extra loud "Get down"! We all dived aside and when I looked around I saw that where we were plodding along five seconds ago was a small crater and a blue Pegasi dressed in a Wonderbolt Uniform.

"Damn it" I yelled and drew my sword, aiming it at the Wonderbolt's head. He dived aside lightning fast and hit me square in the jaw with a fast jab. I tried raising my sword and swinging multiple times but he was just too fast for my tired, hungry and snow laden body to deal with.

Finally he kicked my sword away and had me on the floor, ready to buck his legs against my head and kill me or at worst give me so much brain damage that I wouldn't be able to say the word "apple" without dribbling down my chin. "Wait!" I yelled as I looked behind him. He coked his head in surprise but quickly regretted doing so when a tiny but powerful sleeper bolt slammed into his ribs.

He flinched and quickly removed the dart. To my amazement he intended still to finish me but now I got up and hit him square in the face with a powerful punch. He had tried to sluggishly dodge but it had made my attack more effective and I heard the audible crack and he collapsed to the floor with a bloody nose.

"Move" I yelled looking up at Luna in thanks as she re-loaded her crossbow. I looked or my sword but it had buried itself from view so I cursed and followed Luna up the mountainside. "We dead" said Chad, not having to shout as we got to a small underway which blocked the wind with some straight rock which looked a bit like a building built into the rock face and except for the deep hole in its centre was completely smooth.

"Shut up, we aren't dead there is probably only a squad of them combing the mountainside, we're safe here as long as we aren't spotted" although spotting us wouldn't be fairly hard since we were on a pretty easy to spot from air side of the mountain.

Luna hurried up to the straight rock face and shouted "-translate- I am a True Follower of the night and I command ye open"! I don't know what she expected since I hadn't a clue what she had shouted but the rock did nothing except look as inactive as I'm sure it had been for centuries.

Suddenly there was a small sound from behind and I saw the same pony as before stride sluggishly towards me. How he was up after that sleeping bolt amazed me but I wasn't in the mood for answers just action. "Pick you take the left" I yelled at the inactive lump who argued "No Way am I, I have a life you know and I'd like to keep it". "Then help Luna with the door I'm busy" I said as the Wonderbolt looked at me in anger. We were at a standoff and began circling each other whilst Luna and Chad knocked against the door.

"Why did you do it" asked the Wonderbolt so suddenly that it caught me off guard and he hit fast but not as fast as before giving me time enough to deflect his hit with sweep of my hoof. "I didn't do anything" I said as I spun and tried to give him a full back leg kick in the chest.

He ducked and launched over my head in the air and hit me in the chest with a few jabs. "You tried to kill Celestia and now are fleeing with a terrorist and a thief you were once Captain Backwater, A Hero who was looked up too until you were dis-graced and now this, it makes no sense" he argued splaying his hooves and giving me an opportunity.

I hit him square in the chest multiple times before getting him in a headlock and covering his mouth so he couldn't breathe. "What if everything was a lie and in fact I was wrongly disgraced, I'm trying to save your ruler and the real terrorist is currently residing in Canterlot castle" I said as I felt his body go limp. He collapsed unconscious and I looked up as at the same time there was a loud bang and suddenly the Straight–Faced stony mountainside opened up with chad hanging onto it with what looked like a carrot stuck in what the lock which must have been like those special Alicorn locks Celestia had in the Canterlot Castle so only Alcorn could enter, which confused me since a carrot didn't really pass for a horn.

"It's a doorway" I said and Chad looked up and commented "You know I think I just figured that out an hour ago". "Let's get moving they could have heard that" said Luna and so we moved to the doorway. Getting inside I looked as the Wonderbolt who'd tried to beat me twice got up with his hooves shaking and limped towards us, standing on two hooves in the entrance and raising his hooves in a boxer's stance.

"He made his way closer towards us and I sighed and prepared to finish him when all of a sudden some kind of wind whooshed and the doors made of thick stone slammed shut as if they were made of bamboo and we were all knocked to our hooves as a warm and layered mare's voice echoed "We knew thou would return to us".

Suddenly the entire room which had been coated in eerie darkness lit up and we saw what appeared to be a large hall with a grand but now broken table covered in cobwebs and dust along with various other bits of old furniture and cobwebs along with flags bearing a moon crest all tattered now and scarred hanging from the ceiling.

At the end of the great hall were three thrones, one of which was larger than the other two with the symbol of the moon atop it. On the right chair was dust, cobwebs and the skeleton of a rat whilst on the left chair to the great throne was a blue image of somepony partially a skeleton and partially flesh.

"It's a ghost" exclaimed Pick "We're going to die"! Luna could only hang her jaw in amazement and even the Wonderbolt and I were in awe at this incredibly scary figure which could only have been a ghost. "Thou are wrong young one about dying but yes we are all ghost" said the ghost. "Wait a minute we?" asked Luna and suddenly the room filled with blue light as next to us guards which were partial skeletons with rusted swords and black armour stood to attention, the halls filled with many ponies although not enough to fill the table.

"Although the form of thou is different our ruler, The Lunar Observatory can tell the difference…at least some could" said the ghost in a saddened voice as it strode from its throe towards us. "What is this place?" I asked frustrated at my lack of knowledge.

The ghost made to answer but instead Luna interjected in an equally sad voice to the ghost's. "This is The Lunar Observatory, they house the largest observatory in Equestria and watch the heavens for trouble and also act to watch Equestria and the other lands with spies and diplomats, they are loyal to me and then to my sister and are all dead by the looks of it" she sniffed sadly.

The ghost looked sadly at Luna and Luna cried "Oh Starlit I'm so sorry". "Don't be Luna, we all did not die of the hoof of Celestia, but instead at the hoof of our own" she said, looking like she wanted to hug her but her inability to touch anything held her back.

"What do thou mean?" asked Luna as she slipped slightly back into her old Canterlot Voice. "It be Venus and Revive, the traitors gathered a third of the garrison to their support of the fake ruler Nightmare Moon and whilst we slept, soundlessly they slit our throats, by the time some awoke they were outnumbered and perished and now stand before you, immortalised by their oaths to serve you until death and beyond" explained the ghost as she saluted.

"Luna what do I do, I cannot take on a ghost army" I whispered and Luna looked at me angrily saying "This army is mine and they should not be feared they have stood at their posts despite their deaths with only their loyalty keeping them going".

"Err guys there's a Wonderbolt who's looking at me very scarily" said Pick and I looked back suddenly to see the Wonderbolt wrap his hooves around Pick's neck (something I actually had wanted to do multiple time before) and begin to choke him.

The ghosts responded in force, forming a light navy blue mist and slamming into the Wonderbolt, throwing him into the wall behind us and knocking him out for hopefully more than a few minutes this time. "Although we cannot leave this Mountain we still have the Observatory and we have watched as Equestria grew and flourished with amazing contraptions the like I thought would never be seen but now we see something else, something in Canterlot has begun to poison it and although to ponies living thee everything seems natural we have noticed it as well as we have noticed ye Captain of the Guard" said the ghost of Starlit to me.

"How did you know I was a Captain?" I asked. "You went to watch the Twilight every night for your duration of time, we see everything but not hear however, which is why the rest must be calculated and predicted with knowledge, had our spies still been operation we could have told you what the King had for lunch alas now everything is mostly guessing yet we can still be accurate and thou carried the helmet of Captain might also have hinted" explained the ghost.

"Starlit I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you, I wish I was here but Clearwater took my powers and form and imprisoned me in mine sister's and I's castle and warded it heavily" Luna apologised full of sadness. "So we saw Princess, the swine's they did such terrible things which if we were alive today we'd gladly do the same to them and the next three generations of their families!" said the ghost in anger.

Luna looked down and Pick looked at her solemnly as his brain went about putting two and two together. "How come Celestia hasn't tried to use this place before?" I asked since this place was a gigantic strategic advantage. "We don't quite know, it was an invention of Luna's and she took the secrets with her when they imprisoned her and we also when we died, we believe that Celestia kept it dormant as a way to remember but at the same time forget" said the ghost.

"Starlit does the tunnel to the Bad Lands still exists" asked Luna. "Yes mine leader, the tunnel is damaged but is still operational" the ghost replied. "We will rest for tonight then and if there is any kit still usable please say and Pick and the Captain will go and fetch it" said Luna.

"Although many a sword is rusted and our food stores long rotted we will send Axer our armourer with the Captain and Twinkle with Pick" said the ghost bowing. Two ghostly ponies both appeared by the side of me and Pick and they asked "What's it like to breathe"? Pick looked wide eyed but I calmly responded "It's really nice, I'm sorry you're unable to do it".

The ghosts looked at us with their sunken eyes and Pick eased the tension saying "Shall we move on before the smell of decay and age clouds my mind and makes me suffocate. "Wait what I shall do with him" I said gesturing at the downed Wonderbolt.

"We can execute him if you so wish" said the ghost. "This is a Wonderbolt Starlit, he's simply following Celestia's orders and he doesn't mean to kill is the holding cell still usable?" asked Luna. "Always merciful mine Princess, Axer will take you and Wonderbolt pony to the holding cells and then the armoury" she said and I nodded and looked up at Axer.

I quickly ran over to Luna and asked quietly "Will you be alright or do you want me to stay"? Luna looked at me and smiled and flicked her mane. "I'll be alright; you go ahead I'm surrounded by friends here, just hurry back ok". "I will" I promised and went back over to Axer.

It was hard to tell what he had been like before being a ghost but he was big and might have once had muscles, the rest of him was either bits of ghostly flesh and bones so I had no idea but I'd have hated to come up against him in battle. "Pick him up and we go" he said in a heavy and like Starlit's a layered voice which crept me out despite the fact these were Luna's personal society of followers albeit that they were all dead.

I huffed and put the Wonderbolt on my back, straining hard to keep his wait. "O where too?" I asked. "Follow me" said the ghostly visage of Axer and he began to almost float towards a doorway which was broken inwards. Pick went off with Twinkle and Luna stayed with Starlit and since we were in a mountain I was fairly at ease that we were not going to be attacked so decided I should stop thinking how everything could go wrong in an instant.

"You are out of shape Captain" said Axer as I walked on. "Excuse me?" I asked looking at the image. "Your breathing is laboured your beard unshaven and your sides are hefty" he replied in a flat and same ghostly tone as before.

"Wait are you calling me fat?" I asked annoyed. "Yes, you are now the protector of Luna, she is alone in the world except for you and right now I could kill you despite not even being alive" he said to my annoyance. "Look it's hard for me you know I have had a tough few years and I don't need to be taking this shit from some dead pony who died a thousand years ago!" I yelled and prodded through his ectoplasm form.

He turned a tinge of red and said "I know you are sad about getting old, I know you blame yourself for her death and I know you didn't fill that canteen with water, we see everything but we cannot change anything which is why I must beg you to get in shape, lose your guilt and lose you drink for the sake of the future of Equestria and Luna you need to protect her" begged the ghost.

I was perplexed and couldn't say a word, all his words made me angry but stung my heart and my soul, they were all true every single line and although I knew I couldn't let go of the guilt and It took time to get in shape I could still do one thing. I threw my canteen at the wall and the stopper came undone and spilled the bourbon all over the floor.

The ghost of Axer looked at me and I at it and I asked "Can we move along"? Axer might have smiled, I couldn't tell but right now every cell was trying to stop my body from going back and lapping up the whisky like a dog so I focused on channelling that energy into hate for Axer.

We arrived at the holding cells which were pretty small and I dumped the Wonderbolt inside the dirty, rat infested cell and the followed Axer to the Armoury. It had a huge oak door and upon entering had many racks containing rusted weapons and mannequins covered by rusted armour. Axer went over to a locker hanging off its hinge and said "You'll find a preserved steel dirk inside this locker and in the one next to it Observatory Chair pony clothes of blue which Starlit tells me will look good on you.

I frowned and asked "Can you speak to Starlit"? "Yes all ghosts through these halls are connected, it would be too hard for you to comprehend so shall we move along" asked Axer. I picked up the clothes and the dagger and made my way to a small room he'd led me to.

This was where we kept our prized collection but the traitors took most of it when they left and abandoned this place to fight alongside Nightmare Moon, it has however got a moonstone sword which will never rust or break down the back of the left mannequin and a set of thirty throwing knives which may be used in battle or for missile attack in the cabinet to your right" informed Axer in high detail.

I retrieved the goods and asked "How do you know this place so well"? "I've had a thousand years to know it and now all I want is to go to the stars and die in peace but I shall not until my oath is filled" said Axer sadly. Despite the fact the ghosts were frightening and creepy I felt sadness for them and asked "Can you take me back to Luna after I change into these things"? "With pleasure" Axer responded and waited until after I'd changed into the almost robe like garments which smelled terrible and he led me once more through the winding halls, wordlessly to Luna.

She was talking with Starlit and standing next to Pick who was holding four Saddle Bags with the moon sewn into its side and dressed in a Blue Cowl which made even him look menacing, his hat was gone and now he looked like an ordinary thief.

Luna was dressed differently too, she wore parts of black Armour, black gauntlets protected her legs and hoof guard were worn on her hooves she also had part of a black chest guard on her body. "I see you look the part now too" she said and I looked down at my battle robes. "Yeah well so do you, what is that Armour?" I asked amazed as its shininess. "It is the Armour of Princess Luna, although not all of it could fit on her now petite form some will still offer protection" responded Starlit.

"I woke up during the raid and locked it in the morgue" said Twinkle dully. "So you have weapons now" asked Starlit and I nodded, showing her the stuff. "I'll have this one I suppose" said Pick, taking and strapping the dirk to his leg. Luna looked at the throwing knives and said "This Crossbow you have given me will suffice; you can keep them in our new Saddle Bags.

The new Saddle Bags were of good make despite their age and I transferred my map and the little food into two and gave a full one to me and Chad along with an empty one each. "The passageway is now open and we can direct you through the… suddenly she stopped and cried "The Observatory Beacon is active"! "Instantly all ghosts disappeared in a blue mist and we were left in silence, however moments later they all returned and dumped the damned Wonderbolt before us.

He was shuddering and cold and by the looks of him he was having a bad day. "I was ready now to kill him but Luna walked over to him and lifted his head up, asking "Why do you want to stop us"? The Wonderbolt looked at Luna and answered "I have a duty to Equestria and the Princess's and I was ordered to find and stop you" he said as he tried to control his breathing. "But I am Princess Luna" Luna said to which the Wonderbolt shook his head and said "You look nothing like my Princess of the night".

Luna looked down and sighed and for a second looked sad but then Starlit came up behind her and asked "There is a way to make him understand however it will weaken us and eventually cause the Observatory to be destroyed once we disperse" she said. "The only alternative is keep him here so he can starve to death or kill him to prevent anypony from knowing our location" said Luna.

"This one is strong, he is young and fast and determined with a good heart, he pushes himself beyond his limits which is and was his downfall but will be a good fighter if you except him" said Starlit. "Can you make him understand without hurting him" asked Luna when I interrupted "What do you mean make him understand"?

Starlit looked across and replied "He has got the brain to choose for himself whose side to pick, he wants the righteous side but lacks the knowledge of our vision and we will give this knowledge to him to hold forever" she said and my eyes widened. "So basically you're going to fill his head with every single thing your Observatory has seen and predicted over the course of you operation" exclaimed Pick.

"If our Princess wishes it" said the ghosts voices becoming one "However he will also carry the memories of us with him forever" said the voices and even the torches on the walls dimmed at that. Luna thought a moment before she sighed and said "Do it".

The Ghosts acted instantly and al their forms suddenly flowed straight into the Wonderbolt and he screamed as his eyes turned a bright blue and he got up and grabbed Luna's head. I galloped over and pushed him aside but he began to spasm and sweat as the voices in his head killed him with knowledge of the past, present and the future.

"When will it end?" asked Pick queasily and as he did it all at once ended and the torched in the room darkened to only a dozen Starlit and a dozen other ghosts appeared before Luna and stated flatly "It is done, now whether he chooses you to be his leader or still his enemy is entirely up to him" she said.

I looked at the slightly smoking figure of a Wonderbolt as he weakly stirred and asked "It's all lies, everything about you has been lies and I am amazed at everything I've seen" he started as he shakily got to his hooves. "I saw everything in Equestria from Manehatten to Ghastly Gorge and the Griffon Kingdoms and although I cannot understand and recall it all in perfect clarity I still saw it all" he said as he rose to look at us.

His eyes were pure black; literally he was the creepiest pony I had probably ever seen now that these ghosts had left their mark. "I saw what they did to you Luna and I promise I will protect you as best I can despite what I have already done" he said.

Luna looked touched and a little sad from speaking to him but I was more concerned with the last part he'd said and quickly asked "What did you do"? He looked up at Luna and then sadly back at me and replied "All eighty Wonderbolts are combing this Mountainside they must have seen when I found and activated that beacon and by now Celestia will have been informed and told her guards what to do to get in here" he said and my eyes widened in panic.

"We need to vamoose like right now ya'll" said Pick as he galloped over to us and began trotting on the spot. "Starlit which way to the tunnels" asked Luna and she instructed "Take North tunnel then go left, left, left, right, right, left and finally left again before heading straight on down and out to the other side of these Mountains, if they get in we'll hold them off but when we dissipate the will to hold this structure will fail and the Observatory will be destroyed" explained Starlit quickly as I strapped on my sword across my back and got ready to hurry.

"Thank you Starlit" said Luna as a tear rolled down her cheek. "It was an honour in life and now in death Princess, now you must go before they get here our power is now almost nothing" she said also in incredible sadness.

The Wonderbolt got up to follow and although still felt his punches accepted we'd solve any problems later and began to follow Luna in the direction out of these lonely Mountains of trapped souls and hopefully to a place with lots of nice green trees and grass.


	11. Murder

**Murder**

"Damn that was a close one" Pick gasped in relief, clenching his side from the pain of running very fast through the collapsing tunnels we'd just so narrowly missed. I think we should rest for just a moment" commented Luna as she too heaved heavily from the fastest twenty minutes of my life. "We should keep moving" I said between breaths, the Wonderbolts might have covered this side of the Mountains as well and I didn't want to hang around. "I'm ready when you are" said the Wonderbolt which had just so recently (twenty minutes ago really) been added to the small group of ours.

It was hard to see though the small cloud of dust ejected from the collapsed tunnels but it looked like it was hotter this side of the Macintosh Mountains and surrounding the mountains was a large almost bowl like valley with a small gorge far in the distance, it was very red as well although it might have had forests I couldn't tell with the sting in my eyes.

I looked at the Wonderbolt in a mixture of annoyance yet appreciation since we'd have never made it out alive had he not told us of the other Wonderbolts combing the area. "What's you name then flash?" I asked as I stopped panting and attempted to compose myself. The Wonderbolt looked at me curiously and answered "Soarin is my name".

I coughed a little and looked him up and down, his body was a pale and pasty blue and his hair was a jet black colour, he couldn't have been over twenty and he radiated youth and athleticism. However I recognised this particular pony, not just the way he looked but his knowledge of me before he'd been given the memories of the Observatory Ghosts freaked me out.

"Have we met before I hit you in the face?" I asked him, getting to the point. "Yes Sir, you were the Captain of the Guard when I graduated to a full member of the Wonderbolt's by Celestia, the way I recall it you stormed into the place, demanded your men have their swords returned and broke a lovely stained glass window before somepony came up and whispered something in your ears and you fled" said Soarin and I looked at him wide eyed.

"You mean…you were there that day?" I asked despite my memory recalling that exact same face as the one before me now. "I recall you also mentioned that my Corp was a complete waste of time and finances" said Soarin and despite the fact we were on the same side I couldn't help but mumble "It is a waste of time".

Soarin did not react kindly to what I had said but still did well to maintain his professional composure which must have come in handy for rich kid's parties and pretending to save the day every now and then. "I hope maybe that if I stay in your Company for the duration of this quest then I might change your view" he said diplomatically to my criticism.

I scoffed and told him straight "Kid the only reason you're here Is because Luna has a kind heart, me I was ready to cut your head from your body and be on my way, perhaps we wouldn't have had to run through those tunnels for our lives and now you are here, loyal to Celestia by the golden badge on your chest with knowledge in your mind that could break the kingdom and yet it took all of five minutes for you to switch sides in the name of righteousness"!

"What are you saying?" asked Soarin. "I'm saying that your loyalty might be put to the test during our travels, be they short or long and you might come to a time when you have to choose Luna or Celestia and I'd like to know if that time ever comes because I'll be waiting with a crossbow at your back to see if you pick the pony I know you'll pick" I said with my teeth mashed together.

Soarin's professionalism was beginning to crumble and he knew it as he got angrier and angrier. "I serve Princess Luna and Celestia, not the fake Clearwater who did such terrible things to her and this land" argued Soarin. "If you know so much from the Observatory ghosts then please, enlighten me about where these caves are then and what we'll find?" I asked patronizingly. "I can't just remember it all it just comes back to me my mind feels weird as it is and I don't need this right now" he said but I took this as him avoiding a simple question and asked "If you're going to be traveling with us then I want to see you prove some commitment to Luna and us" I said pointing at Soarin.

Pick and Luna could only look on as I got angrier and angrier over such a little thing. "Rip you badge from your uniform and renounce the Wonderbolt's" I said flatly and Luna barged in front of me and to my shame slapped me with the back of her left fore hoof and argued "No one will renounce anything for me, no one needs to die for me you are all here of your own choice and I will not force you into battle without giving you it".

"You could have told me that when you shoved me on a train you know" interjected Pick but nopony paid him heed, instead we all became locked in a small staring competition. Soarin eventually looked up and said "Fine" before he reached down with his teeth and clasped the badge which he'd probably been given upon signing up thanks to his parent's donations. "Soarin, you might be new but that's not the way things work around here, you don't need to do this" said Luna trying to stop him but he held up his hoof and looked at me and stated "It's alright…I want the Captain of Murder to know I'm on his side".

I threw him a wicked look and sharply asked "What did you say"? "I said Captain that you were the one to blame and I can see it in my head how you stood over her with the knife, how you stabbed her until she actually thanked you to stop and finally when she died how you didn't even shed a tear after so many years of being together you just walked away and visited the bar down the street" said Soarin with Menace.

Every single strain of my being was trying to not lunge at this little bitch of a Wonderbolt, I wanted to cut him in half and mail one half of his body to Celestia and the other half to his mother he just crossed a line that could never be crossed.

I think even he believed that as well as he immediately put his hooves over his mouth and turned red with shock visible in his still young eyes. Pick and Luna were wide eyed, jaws open and staring as well not knowing how to comment on what they'd just heard. I considered various options in the next few seconds.

I could draw my sword and fight this mere kid, I could try my hardest to explain but now all I wanted to do was go home to my shady little apartment on my shady little street and drink until I drowned in sorrow, guilt and age. So I untied my saddle bags and didn't even bother to take any supplies before I glanced up at the map and sniffed once.

Pick made to say something but I stared him down into complete silence. "Ok well Mr Wonderbolt can lead you from now on since this Is your democracy Princess, I'm going home to die like an old dog who has played all his tricks, don't follow me or talk me out of it because I swear to you that I will kill you without hesitation…according to Captain Flash over there I'm so good at it so good luck and goodbye" I said dangerously as I grabbed my sword and tied it onto my back and strode away.

Now that I thought about it after traversing five metres in front I came onto the kid harshly over his allegiance and for my troubles was questioned over mine and ended up being the one to throw down his sword. However when I thought about looking Luna in the eyes ever again I simply knew that it was probably for the best.

Although forty wasn't that old it was still the end of me and with years of drink against me and a lot of anger and regret I was broken, a rick monkey who had tried to do one last flip before he dies and instead was met with the bittersweet of it all. I wasn't young, I wasn't fit and I wasn't fast and Soaring was all of those, he'd be able to look after the Princess without me, especially now with a weapon.

I turned to look back and saw a faint blue bur in the distance of the scorching hard red rock of the Bad Lands and for a moment I thought it waved before it turned away and disappeared. I felt like crying but I remembered what Soarin had said and monsters didn't cry, so I kept on walking and put everything behind me and wished I had some cider, I'd sell my soul for some.

Everything passed in a blur and suddenly it was night and I was a full day's walk away from anypony. It was night and it had cooled down rapidly, so rapidly I actually felt a slight chill. The ground was warm however so I didn't build a fire (not that there were sticks or kindling materials around anyway). So I settled down to sleep with no food or drink and feeling very hot and yet cold I fell into a miserable and tired slumber.

_"Congratulations you two, it was a fantastic Wedding and I hope you all the best of luck in the future" said Fancy Pants, a young and rather charming pony who had attended our wedding with the beginnings of one of the most epic moustaches that would later make him a lot of money just by standing still and getting offers for Ponies to get their photos taken with it. "Thank you Fancy Pants" I said bowing as he moved on to mingle with some other guests._

_"You know I once tested his security system and broke into his personal vault" said my now beloved wife. "Really, other than a ton of gold what did you find?" I asked whilst waving to a few ponies in the crowd. "Oh well…let's just say the moustache isn't exactly true" she giggled. "No way, this must be a clever ploy you want me to try ripping it off his face don't you?" I asked looking at her with my freaky eyes. "Oh stop it" she said playfully "I'm just saying watch out the stuff he made it with looked interesting" she said pausing and frowning._

_I'd decided by now I'd rather not know and decided to move along. Celestia had been kind to effectively lend us the castle this close to the Gala and perform the ceremony in front of many rich ponies whose names I didn't even know" "Still I was saddened how my Father wasn't alive to see me yet I caught sight of my mother and gave her a small wave._

_My right fore hoof was wrapped tightly around hers in a binding if undying love, I had promised I'd never let this mare go no matter what and I meant it when I had vowed to live for her. I smiled and looked at her lovingly but I found her eyes were rather dull looking at that moment as they stared with an almost empty look right though into my soul. _

_"Honey is there a problem" I asked smiling but suddenly her eyes seemed to get rigid and the room darkened as everypony turned towards us, their faces gaunt and with eyes that described the next thing they all said "Murderer" they whispered and I looked from side to side and suddenly knew this was wrong._

_"What no…I didn't do it I swear please I can explain" but suddenly Celestia was in front of me and using her magic she seemed to rip a badge from my chest. It felt like being stabbed, I cried out in both physical and emotional pain and pleaded "Please don't take it, it's the only thing I have left now in this world you can't just do this to me I'm not guilty!" I yelled in anger but suddenly I looked in my hoof and saw a dagger of pure white steel in my hands and coated with a thick layer of treacle like blood._

_I looked at my wife, my dearly beloved and saw the stains appearing all over her pale white and blue wedding dress, it started as a patch but it soon covered her entire form as it seemed she was a waterfall of blood. "Why" she asked me in disappointment and she collapsed into my hooves which were ready to catch her. _

_I looked over her limp body and vacant eyes and saw that truly she was gone forever, passed from this world like a discarded toy which would never work or be played with again only to gather dust. I tried to cry but I just couldn't and the more I tried the more I felt my anger build until I was practically frothing at the mouth. I saw ahead of me three little fillies, happy and playful all laughing and talking and then I looked at my knife and smiled "This is how now" I told myself "You can't change the past… but then again who'd want to change it really"?_

I awoke with a cry as I felt my heart hammering away in my chest at over a hundred miles per hour and I looked around to see dawn breaking. I had been sobbing in my sleep and looking around for Luna the memory of what I'd done yesterday had all come flooding back to me as I remembered how I'd left and almost killed that pony, that Wonderbolt who was only doing his job for his Kingdom like me not so many years ago. What was I and why was I liking whatever I was.

"By Celestia have I not done anything right in my life?" I asked myself. Suddenly a small almost mirage appeared over my pathetic and still sobbing body and I saw that it was a pony that looked like a nicer Nightmare Moon. "Luna?" I asked almost not believing my eyes. "Yes Captain I have done it, I defeated that traitor Clearwater and saved Equestria no thanks to you, you have held me back from day one and now as your sovereign command ye to prove your loyalty by killing yourself!" she decreed.

"What this is absurd, you cannot be serious here I…I didn't mean to" I began but she stopped me with a toss of her flowing mane. "Oh you didn't mean to…admit it now that you did you can see it in yourself I'm sure the love of glory and blood in fact I'm sure you wanted to kill me multiple times over the course of the past week and now I ask you to prove your loyalty you protest" she said factually and somehow making a lot of sense to me swayed my judgement.

I had wanted to kill her, of course it all made sense but yet I still thought about how It didn't make any sense but in that time I had already drawn my sword and placed it against my throat. Some blood dribbled across the aged and very sharp sword which I was now ready to kill myself and never look back with.

"Yes that's it, kill yourself and save me from having to do it" said the visage of Luna which suddenly began to flicker. I paused from my delusions and snapped out of it, fully realising what I'd been about to do. I saw Luna's true form but somehow her soul looked evil and manipulative and very dangerous.

I turned the sword thought the air and leapt at the beast, not caring whether it could kill me or not but aiming for the head. My sword sliced through the image and it hissed as it disappeared into a million sparkles of stardust.

I collapsed, breathing heavily and feeling the sweat literally pour from my body. "What the hay just happened?" I asked in complete miscomprehension. Had I really just attempted to kill myself, to take my tortured soul and see what happened across the water if I got that far?

"Yes what just happened?" asked a sudden voice from behind me which made me jump in surprise and raise my sword. However my back had other ideas and my sword off balanced me and I fell over. God my back hurt, the last few days finally taking their toll on my body, I was aching and paining all over and now seriously questioning my already damaged mental health.

I looked up from my rather uncomfortable position on the floor at a rather old pony dressed in a cloak much like the bad lands soil with a dark grey beard and a similar desert coloured hat to match everything. He carried a sole saddlebag and a long staff with a twisted end and his eyes spelled wisdom and curiosity.

"You know I once met a pony who tried to kill himself by eating over five thousand muffins in the space of one hour it was amazing how much he wanted to die, reached muffin 4121 before he finally gave up and became the owner of Baltimare's Muffin Production Line" said the old pony as he found a rock and dusted it off.

He proceeded to sit down and looked me over as I got to my feet; he sighed and looked at me with heavy eyes. I understand you don't sleep well" he said (although how he knew I could never have guessed) "Well I guess I also have trouble sleeping although nowadays my body too tells me that I'm past my time".

"Listen old man, I'm not in the mood for pointless prattle, I've got to get to Manehatten" I said jutting my hoof at his chest and pushing past him. He sighed and took out some small black pellet and dug a hole in the barren soil before he put the pellet into it and then pulled out a flask of water and watered it" Was this crazy pony seriously gardening in the middle of nowhere, also how did he get that water and did he have more. At that exact moment I was actually feeling overwhelmingly thirsty and I considered taking some.

He looked up at me with his smiling face and remarked "You know I saw the formation of peace whilst serving as the court Wizard for the Unicornian Royal Family and I'd say that nowadays in order to get a drink you need only ask friend" said the old one handing me a flask of water from his saddlebag.

I didn't know what craziness he was talking about but I didn't really care and greedily took the flask and gulped down the precious life giving liquid. He looked on as I drank it all and remarked "You're going to get stomach pain you know". He was right, I began to feel the pain in my stomach and I clasped it in pain and collapsed.

He kept on smiling and watched the ground where the flower was growing. "You know forty is still young, you can still do a lot that you could do ten years ago maybe with less energy now but replace with a drive and experience which I know you have and you've got yourself somepony who could make or break an empire" he said as he poked me in the stomach with his stick.

This Pony seemed to me like a pony I should know and then all at once it hit me and I exclaimed "Starswirl the Bearded, the pony Clearwater murdered"! He tipped his hat and his horn sparked a little and suddenly a tiny fanfare of magical red sparks danced before my eyes like confetti as he confirmed my little puzzle. "I have been waiting for the day when somepony would free Luna and now you have a choice like the flower I just planted" he said sticking his staff in the soil.

I was confused so he explained "Somepony can help you start off with combat training and a direction in life but then you're on your own like the plant which I just watered and for a time it will be ok but then age weighs on you and you tire but if you push through you can still operate better than you had in the past forty years and save the Kingdom I worked so hard to help create and a student I so much loved" said Starswirl as the plant miraculously grew before my astonished eyes.

"Oh well I suppose a little help won't hurt" he said as he touched my snout with the staff and suddenly my vision went blank and I believed that he'd made me blind. "Damn what the hay?" I yelled but then my vision returned and looking around I saw I was lying in the dark of night on the warm sand once more and I wasn't dead and in fact felt pretty good. In fact I felt better than I had in about five years almost like I was a thirty year old stallion again.

I trotted on the spot and did a cartwheel just to see how good I was and was rewarded to find I could do it. I wasn't sure if I looked younger, probably not since I still felt my beard but I didn't care, right now I had direction and looking at the plant growing by the rock I was assured of what I had to do to ensure the continuation of Royal rule and the more or less harmony of Equestria.

I grabbed my sword and squinted to make out my hoof prints in the night moon. I looked up at the stars and located north and set off in a gallop, feeling lighter than I had in years and rejoicing in it. The Bad Lands weren't so bad after all, I might have nearly killed myself and abandoned my cause but now I was very much alive and despite the sorrow in my heart I swore a life contract binding oath to protect and now I was galloping across the rocky red surface of the Bad Lands to find Princess Luna and her entourage who without me might already be dead.

I was stupid to leave, I had been acting like a disgruntle colt in distrusting the Wonderbolt and I'd been zapped in the rear and ran away crying like a little filly which I knew in my heart I wasn't. So as I raced I knew that it was going to get infinitely better and it was until I trod on something shiny and metallic.

I bent down and picked up the cold and flimsy metal. I struggled to examine it in the poor light but found that it was the golden badge of a Wonderbolt which signified him as a leader. Nearby there was blood and a few buttons from what must have been some jacket on the rocky floor.

In front of the buttons were hoof prints and to my alarm also drag marks which made me certain of what I already knew…Bandits.


	12. Red Rock

**Red Rock**

I looked at the encampment these obviously not bandits had set up in the middle of nowhere and could only shake my head. They looked like they should be on the streets in Manehatten, most were chunky and carried heavy weapons like a long sword or an axe but a few had crossbows. Their camp was basically in the shape off a badly drawn triangle with a crossbow wielding Pony keeping watch by a small lantern which illuminated him but nothing beyond a few metres of his position in the pitch black of the unforgiving night.

The Guards were all tired and by the looks of it hadn't switched shifts in hours if they were going to at all. There were three big tents inside with a small wooden table and a cart where four other thuggish and ridiculously dressed ponies considering our location chatted and played cards whilst getting slightly drunk every minute.

A specific tent was large than the other two and had a guard who actually looked like he was paying attention at the front. Other than that I guessed that the other ponies were all asleep. The rag marks definitely led to this camp and this wasn't any country club adventure from the city, these ponies meant some serious business.

Although they were all Earth Ponies as far as I could see I wasn't so sure what would happen if I charged in against the thirty of them…even I'm not that good…okay maybe I am but it would be a big mistake. So I drew out four throwing knives (a weapon I was unaccustomed to) from my belt and approached until I was five metres away from the first sentry and hiding behind a rock.

It looked easily enough and I had once participated in a fair doing this stuff so I had twenty minutes of experience under my belt. I aimed the first one and mistakenly threw it like a dart. It thudded into the wooden cart on the other side of the still loudly talking and annoying ponies.

I cursed mentally and drew another one, this time flinging it like a circus pony would. I thudded into the flimsy wooden guard rail behind the sentry and he was startled awake. He looked behind him and I thought "now" and rushed up to him before he could turn round and using the small knife I currently had in my hoof I slit his throat before he could gurgle a warning and alert somepony.

I caught him as he fell and silently placed him on the floor before pocketing the knives (which were basically the only thing I could use them for) and picking up the sentry's quite outdated Crossbow, glad for a weapon I was more adapted to. It was strung still and looked deadly, especially in my hands I supposed so I looked around the camp.

I could now take out another sentry but he may alert the other if he fell noisily and I didn't want that so instead I advanced up the camp, reaching the cart and taking cover behind it. On the other side, the gambling thugs loudly talked about some juicy pieces of information which I soaked up like a sponge.

"So yeah I heard the guy just never turned up and the spies in the guard say he is now traversing Equestria with the girl, so the boss mobilised everypony" said a deep and heavily drunk voice. "Wha...?" stumbled one guy whilst another exclaimed "Everypony in the Manehatten Mob"? The first thug chuckled at the ignorance of the other pony and declared "Every Thief, Cut-throat and illegal alcohol seller from Manehatten to Las Pegasus is all over Equestria to find this bastard and his friends". "Holy Celestia that's a Private Army" said another thug and another chuckled saying "Yeah well we found the girl and the guy's obviously gone under so we get our pay check after we haul her back to Manehatten and we retire to them fancy Canterlot estates".

It surprised me, I thought that the mare was simply some rich pony who disliked Celestia for spilling Punch on her and wanted her hateful enemy no matter what so had bribed me with fake cake to get her but this mare must have some contacts if she had hundreds of ponies on the streets, in the forests and deserts looking for me and Luna…my job just got harder all the time.

I looked around and saw that if I could just slip behind a tent and across the camp using it for cover I could get to the Guard guarding Luna and the others and use the Crossbow on him. With him out the way I could then storm the tent and hope they only kept prisoners in there.

My plan was perfect until a pony stepped out of the tent next to the cart and looked at my slightly crouched figure before opening his mouth to scream. I stopped him, dropping the Crossbow which clattered to the hard and rocky floor and breaking his neck with a rear of my fore-hooves before a stomp which snapped the life out of him.

"What the buck was that?" said somepony from the other side of the cart and I cursed, grabbing my Crossbow and aiming at a sentry on the other side who was still asleep and catching him in the back of the head. He fell and the thugs looked over to the other side of the camp as if the attacker had come from that direction.

"Wake Up!" cried a guard but there was no movement at first since these were thugs and thugs don't like being told what to do. However after somepony yelled "Lancer is dead!" the tents practically exploded as confused thieves and cut-throats poured out with half made suits and holding rusty axes and butter knives.

I drew my sword with my teeth and in a fluid motion brought it slashing across the chest of a young stallion with a scar down his eyelid. Next I switched to holding my sword with my hoof and stabbed the next pony that was still getting his tie tied right through the chest. He coughed and died quickly as I spun to the tent behind me and decapitated a pony with a battle cry in my lungs as he charged at me, butter knife raised.

The next ponies to come now had some groggy consciousness and the one which came at me from my front actually tried to cleave my head off. I dodged under the swing and sliced his belly open. His screams filled the camp and made panic which I needed and soon some ponies were running in the wrong direction.

I saw my blade drip red with fury and looked at the dozen lanterns all active around the camp. I strode over to one and sliced through the glass, cutting off the flame and plunging my section into darkness. Feeling where my enemy was going to be was mostly what I relied on but since I hear the screams a I hacked stabbed and slashed I guessed that I got it right.

However I was moving forwards and into the light and suddenly my foes were surrounding me. Three ponies all bearing swords and hatchets surrounded me and swung at me in an untimely fashion which lacked training completely and made them look like comedians. I dropped to the ground and swung my sword at everypony's leg in range and I heard the horrific sound as my blade sliced through six thick chunks which I preferred not to see.

The ponies all fell unconscious and died from blood loss soon but now the I'd cleared over three quarters of the camp the remaining quarter had pulled back and was now in a broken line of about nine ponies including the remaining sentry all armed with the same rusty weapons and the same shaky hooves. However the leader, the pony who'd been guarding the entrance to the doors looked calm and his emotions were completely masked by his face.

He looked exactly like a Royal Guard, even dressed in some a steel helmet and with a sword bearing the symbol of the Guard bathed in the candlelight. "Is he dead" whispered somepony in the line and I heard some shuffling before a very strict voice ordered Cress, go check it out and if he's dead shoot him in the head again with your crossbow.

There was more shuffling except far more slowly now and after five minutes what I assumed was the voice of Cress begged "Please sir, I don't want to" I distinctively heard the sound of a small trickle of what must have been urine as Cress wet himself and could only hate to imagine what their leader was going through right now.

The leader of these bad boys must have given him a look of such terror it forced him into moving because the next thing I heard was the quick hoof steps as Cree advanced quickly to the cart I was taking cover behind and tried to get a bead on me quickly. My sword was already through his head before his brain gave him the all clear to fire and Cress added to the death toll and dropped his Crossbow and quiver.

Since here were two Crossbows here I suddenly had a brainstorm and quickly grabbed hold of a Crossbow which lacked any bolt and fitted one into the mechanism, grunting only slightly to pull back the much heavier weapon than my old small one.

Then I assessed what I could do here and saw my options come up as either wait for them to figure out they can go and flank me or charge into the breach with my Crossbow's twanging and a heroic grin on my face. Everything made sense In option B except for the heroic Grin and instead of waiting to get older I grabbed the Crossbow's (which were heavy when held in a sole set of hooves) and leapt over the cart roaring nothing particular.

I shot the first bolt towards a chunky looking pony with caramel like hair and a blue coat, It hit him in the chest area and he collapsed dead. The other hit the leg of what almost looked like a colt and he along with several others gave up and deserted their post, running at top speed.

Now faced with the leader and his lieutenants, two stacks of pile driving meat I drew my sword and took up a fighting stance. "Cutter, Gutter kill this clown and bring me his head" ordered the boss as he drew his sword and simply set himself aside to watch the show.

Being the performer that I was, when Cutter or Gutter (I couldn't tell the difference) charged a me I stabbed one through the chest and ducked the other powerful yet clumsy axe swing and grabbed the axe the other had dropped and swiped his legs. The heavy axe cut into his legs and he cried out but not for long as I raised it over my head and bringing it down into his chest before retrieving my sword in seconds and facing off the next clown to mess with me on a particularly bad day such as this.

The Leader was clopping his hooves together and was nothing short of calling bravo for the bloody spectacle before me which I had painted across the rocky already red enough floors of these cursed Bad Lands. "You ever considered going tag-team man cause I'd be you partner" said the leader as he stepped up to a fighting stance.

He smiled and looked at my grim face and shrugged saying "Okay I'll be your foe, however a warning, I wasn't raised by a bunch muggers to slash and stab I was in the Royal Guard Training Camp and I was ousted for maiming one of my comrades or cutting his leg off so if you can take me on then by all means go ahead first hit free.

He led all his guard down and he must have full expected me to charge but instead I reared, bringing my forelegs up to the sword handle and drawing It back before flinging it in a spinning circle right into the belly of the pompous leader who'd pitifully signed his own death warrant.

He gurgled and tried to rise but my sword was holding him pinned to the floor. He looked up in fear as I came closer and begged "Please no, I have a foal, a family to provide for"! I wrapped my hoof around my sword and mercilessly drew it back so slowly that he could feel his intestines touch the cold Moonstone steel. I then drew the whole thing and with a fluid motion I decapitated himwhere he lay.

So was the end of the mighty Manehatten Bandit Mob which had set up in a poorly defendable place with poor soldiers and poor weapons and leadership, it just showed how much Luna really needed me. I wiped my blade on the jacket of a nearby foe and stepped cautiously into the prison tent where I saw what I'd expected to see.

All were tied to wooden posts embedded in the earth and Pick had a hoof free and was working his bonds loose, Luna was struggling and typically Soarin was unconscious. However they did not see what they had hoped to see obviously as the fear in their eyes was evident when they looked at me which confused me.

"Please mister I don't wanna die!" cried Pick pleadingly whilst Luna shouted "Shut up Pick! Sir take me and leave them alone they have nothing to do with anything I'll co-operate" but I silenced her with a hoof and looked to my side at a mirror set aside on the floor.

It wasn't me in the mirror. The blue robes were turned deep purple with blood and my face was slathered in the stuff. My white coat was certainly ruined and it had even saturated my mane. I looked like a monster but I had saved Luna and Pick from imprisonment and possibly torture and death so did this make me a good pony.

However I realised I'd been staring at the mirror for two whole minutes and Pick had gotten free and got hold of a broom which he swung at me. Instinctively I chopped it in half and levelled my sword at Pick who backed up to the tent walls in fear on his rear legs, hooves raised in surrender.

I stopped myself before I could kill him, burying the sword deep into a nearby chest and collapsing in a nearby fold out chair, breathing heavily. "Who?" asked Luna but her face changed when she saw through the mask of blood to who was actually behind there. "Captain!" she exclaimed in a mixture of surprise, joy and sadness if I could detect her voice right.

Pick came up behind Luna and with a small knife cut her bonds before doing the same with Soarin, who was not conscious and simply collapsed against the floor in a heap whilst Pick cringed at his mistake. Meanwhile I had to contend with the Princess whose emotions were up and down at that exact moment.

"I thought you were dead" she cried as she flung her hooves around me and hugged me so hard I thought my ribs would crush my important organs. "We walked for five hours and decided to turn back to find you but then they attacked from behind rocks and knocked Soarin out, Pick and I surrendered but they beat him up" she said sadly and looking at her body I saw new welts and cuts on her and asked "What about you?" In a dangerously low voice.

She wiped some tears in her eyes and said "I'm fine, just a cut and bruise nothing to worry about" . I grunted and looked over at our little group and how vulnerable it had been, how could I have been so selfish over something which I knew was a mistake and not my fault all those years ago, now somepony else had needed me and I had decided to go on a suicide walk.

I was quite disgusted with myself but I quickly put that aside and took temporary charge of the situation. "They may have other ponies out there searching for us with the same training and cunning as these fellas so I want us to get Soarin to the cart outside and retrieve our stuff and anything else useful that might aid us in the still long and dangerous trek we're going to have and be ready to leave in twenty minutes, they might have sent out a patrol".

They made to exit the tent, Pick carrying Soaring with effort but I stopped them before they could exit into the private visage of hell I had made and suggested "Don't look at the ground much, al you'll see is death". Already spooked they carefully made their way out of the tent, steeping over guards and coughing at the fould sick stench of metallic blood.

I retrieved my sword and felt my breathing ease slightly upon sheathing it. I had fought off about thirty ponies and I was exhausted however still cautious but I began to search through the chest I'd stabbed. I found my personal belongings in my saddlebags and a lot of documents and gold.

I took some gold bits and rifled quickly through all of the documents none of which had any information about what I their orders concerning us had been. I gave up and left outside to do one more thing before leaving. The others were nearly finished, Soarin having woken up and now holding a Crossbow like some movie would show him holding it.

I strode over to a sentry I'd taken out from a distance and strapped his Crossbow and quiver to my back, feeling the weight and after getting adjusted to it, taking the lantern hanging from the post and proceeding to light the tents on fire. It would be seen from afar for sure but I wanted to make it look like bandits which would hopefully deter this new foe we had to contend with.

Luna, Pick and Soaring all backed up a hundred metres from the camp as I strode out with the lantern. I set it down and watched as the fires engulfed the camp. Soaring came over and looked down at his hooves. "Listen Backwater, I know we got off on kind of the wrong hoof and you and I both exchanged those hurtful comments but I'd just like to say that I'm really sorry" he said with real manly emotion in his voice.

I rummaged through my pockets and pulled out a golden badge with wings all over it and handed it to him saying "I'm sorry Wonderbolt Soarin, I didn't mean to undermine your Corp or your loyalty I wasn't thinking straight" I apologised and Soarin shook my hoof and we both formed a slight bond of respect knowing that we'd each do our best to look after Luna and one another in the field.

"You know I kind of feel a group hug going on her guys" said Pick "Nothing like surviving bandits and then watching them burn to build a sense of unity" he cheered but Luna must have taken this seriously because suddenly we were all in the bear hug and Pick even whimpered a little as Luna hugged us tight saying "You are the best friends I could ever have, with us together we will be unstoppable"!

I wished I could agree with her but as I watched the camp burn I saw a shadow flicker in the flames and sighed before beginning to head north. "Guys we have another problem" I said as I began to tell them about how I had personally brought the power of Equestria's organized crime to our doorstep.

As I had imagined they were quite for a few moments as they took everything in but then dozens of questions came out, the primary of these being "Why do they want us"? "Who is the mare you speak of"? And "Why are they really interested in Luna"?

As much as I tried to answer the oncoming question which I was kind of bombarded with I was weak and tired and not really in the mood to be talking in the dead of night. The unforgiving night which had awarded me back my charge, my friends (although I wasn't sure if they really were my friends) and a little bit more steel.

However I had now killed many a pony and the blood would forever stain my soul until the day I died and now my mind was uneasy and always questioning my sanity despite the boot up the rear the old man had given me to focus my mind.

I wondered about the old man, Starswirl the Bearded. It might have just been a strange dream, but the plant was there which confused me and generally my dreams were of dark and depressing memories (or as I recently experienced) horrific nightmares which made me want to tear my head from my shoulders.

"Is something the matter Captain?" asked Luna softly, concerned for my welfare and generally looking at me with concern. "It's ok, just thinking about how I suck at throwing knives" I responded telling a small lie. "Wait you have throwing knives?" asked Soarin so suddenly. "Yeah I do, I can't really use them but if you can then go ahead" I said handing him the small set from my belt. "Thanks I studied with these in my days as a circus performer up in Las Pegasus" he said looking at the edge. Suddenly it all came rushing to me.


	13. Night Guard

**Night Guard**

"So you tried to stop them from dis-arming the guard" asked Soarin as I leaned back against a very generic rock and talked upon such topics as "Why the Wonderbolt had joined with the Wonderbolts and how it was to fly in the air like a bird. He did the exact same questionnaire for me which was based less on what it was like to be able to soar through the sky whilst looking down over your homeland and based more on my work with the Guard.

"Yes well I had to draw the line somewhere, they'd taken the anti-siege catapults from the battlements over five months previous to the time that I fought over the removal of swords but I remember Princess Celestia specifically saying that there was no longer a threat or danger to any part of the Kingdom and that I had to loosen up despite being the head of security" I told Soarin making sure to emphasize how much I drew the line.

Soarin snickered slightly and said "Yeah I saw you draw the line, I believe you shouted "If you want my sword then take it!" before you threw it into a very expensive stained glass window and got discharged" he said, covering his mouth as he realised he'd once again said too much.

"It's ok…I wasn't discharged until after…until…after the incident anyway" I said with a smile that was obviously fake but was the only thing I could do to hide my pained face and the slight sting of past emotions which t=for the sake of everyone I was trying to bury. "Yeah…well I thought you did a great job" he said patting me on the shoulder.

I shrugged him off and laughed, saying "I didn't really do anything new, sure I stopped a fire or two and stopped numerous robbers but generally I was only a foot note in the history of all the previous Captains, some of which have commanded an almost army like force of guards at one point" I said but Soaring denied it saying "No but you genuinely sound like you want to help the Kingdom"?

I sighed and leaned further back on the rock. "Well I'm not so sure now, I mean Celestia means well but the swords were just one thing about the mess Equestria is in" I began to explain. "I mean sure the economy is flowing and trade is excellent but the living styles of the factory workers and the poor in the cities that remain hidden are so full that they might have to extend the city to keep them hidden" I said as I recalled some of the impoverished things I'd seen during my lovely two-year stay in Manehatten.

"Surely you can see something Soarin, you have all those images of those Observatory Ghosts in your head?" I asked pointing to my head. Soarin frowned and stared off into nothing as he tried to remember anything but he eventually came up with "I don't think it's something I can turn on and off and open like an encyclopaedia". "Of course not, if you remembered it all then your head would explode" chuckled Luna, joining our little conversation. "What for real?" asked Soarin looking suddenly very worried?

Luna just stared at him with an expression that read "Would you like to really know" and so Soaring remained silent. However Luna was still interested in out topic and asked "From what I've seen Equestria looks majorly peaceful, I mean Dodge was quaint and the train was magnificent indeed". "Yes well the rest is different, criminals like the current small army hunting us run the poor districts where the factory workers and servants of rich ponies live in squalor with barely any salary to feed their families and the threat of disappearing if they try to expose it" I said.

"But I don't understand, what do these criminals benefit from keeping them poor, if Tia knew then she would surely fix it?" exclaimed Luna but I shook my head saying "These ponies benefit from keeping the poor like this, they can live like kings some and get to beat and rob and kill anypony in the poor districts for just being graced by their presence, they are like the lords of the poor" I said in disgust, partly at myself since I'd gambled with a number of these so called lords.

"But surely somepony can do something" asked Luna and I nodded and encouraged "Yes Princess of course somepony can, once we've re-claimed your powers and you defeat Clearwater you can change Equestria for the better, open it all up and uncover the truth and I can tell you I'll stand by you every step of the way" I said giving a reflex salute. "Me too ma'am" said Soaring saluting. "You know somepony's are trying to sleep here" murmured Pick from where he was laying face down a few metres away from us.

"Pick we're moving in less than ten minutes can't you get up and show some enthusiasm for a quest which will likely be written in a book one day or maybe even a magazine!" I said walking over and lightly kicking him. "Yeah well after this quest I expect a knighthood and a pick of the Royal Treasury" he mumbled and tried to go back to sleep.

"Well guess what for that we're all going to move out immediately" I told him and the other whole heartily agreed, which prompted him to turn round and state "Sure take the side of the war veteran who save our hides from death yesterday by taking down a hundred soldiers". Everyone laughed but I could only do so half-heartedly, in fact even though I'd scrunched my bloody robes into a compartment in my saddlebags and tried to wipe off all the blood I still felt dirty.

My sword also felt lighter, as if I could swing it without having to bear the weight of guilt for killing somepony anymore and that really frightened me. Despite the fact that they had been murderers and bandits I felt sorry for them. Still I supposed they'd have shown me little to no kindness in the same situation so…

There was also the troubling matter of Soarin which I'd only discovered last night. I hadn't told him but ten years ago I might have met the kid in a fair In Las Pegasus and from what I remembered he'd taught me how to basically throw a knife for five bits before telling me to aim for an apple and win a gigantic teddy bear or something.

At the time I was with…my girlfriend who brought on bad memories so I stopped thinking about it and focused on what I'd remembered. The kid was good, could hit a bulls eye every time but that was back when he was a colt and now he was a young stallion but still I was sure that he could use those knives really lethally.

There was something else about the day I had tried to remember but as quick as it had come it left me again and I was left wondering confusedly what important thing had happened that day. I looked up and saw that the others were starting to move already and I began nodding my head and asking "Princess Luna, how long will it be from here until we reach this mountain of your"?

Luna looked to be thinking for a moment before saying "About a day, if we hurry then we could be at it by midnight in which we could take shelter inside the entrance way". "Well then let's get moving, I hate spending the nights outside with no fire and the threat of some more of those thugs stumbling on us" said Pick as he stretched and yawned loudly.

So we set off, all of us bearing weapons and enough food to last weeks. We had been way worse off and then again I had been way-way worse off than this but I still saw a glimmer of hope for the future. Dreams hadn't seemed to bother me for the past day but I still had a terrible sleep so eventually during last night I'd decided it was best to just stay up at night and watch over the others.

"Captain, you never told me the city you were born in?" asked Luna so suddenly that everyone began to take a liking to the new topic. "He's well organized and by the book so I'd say Fillydelphia" suggested Soarin. "Well I bet half my rations that he's from Stalliongrad, I mean look at him he'd gruff and an excellent fighter" pointed out Pick rather charmingly. "So what do you think then Luna?" I asked, actually glad that this was the far past we were talking about.

Luna considered for a few moments before giving her answer. "Canterlot…Canterlot is the city I'd say" she said "Although I don't really know the names and places of too many cities in the new map I'm trying to get adjusted to but I think Canterlot".

I chuckled and looked as everyone waited for me to give my answer. "Well Soarin, Pick and you are all wrong, in fact Luna is probably the closest one" I said and they all looked stunned, wondering where in Equestria I could have been born. After a minute of their incomprehension I sighed and explained "Ponyville…I was born in Ponyville".

This got everypony's attention except Luna's since Ponyville was actually quite a new little town. "But Ponies from Ponyville are kind, generous, optimistic and generally soft, you're like old and battle-worn" exclaimed Pick, not in the least attempting to spare my feelings.

"Yeah well when my parents visited Ponyville my mother happened to be heavily pregnant and after I was born in the local clinic they decided to spend the rest of their lives there" I said and Luna could help but smile and Soarin say "Sounds like they did alright then".

I looked at him and smiled but then explained "Sadly it wouldn't last, when I was ten my father disappeared to join the Royal Guard and eight years later I followed him since I wanted to see if the letters he'd been sending were really as amazing. Turns out he was actually a baker in a local Canterlot store with another family, so I joined the Royal Guard for nothing and left my mother alone, only being able to visit her once every few years and since…what happened two years ago she's never wanted to see o speak to me again so no I'm afraid I didn't really last forever but thanks for the sentiment Soarin" I finished bitterly.

"Pick looked at me and sighed and began his only story. "Well I never really new who my Pop was, mom said it was some kind of one night stand thing that went on for four months and after that he disappeared and I never knew anything except he had a black mane" he said. "Mom raised me by being the local bartender and for a long while I helped her until I started getting good at taking the tips from the pockets of ponies before they'd tipped me. Anyway I got caught and she lost her job and despite that still loved me, even when I got stuck in jail time after time she'd eat into the saving and bail me, well that was until last winter when she caught something bad and despite having Iron will she passed away in her sleep as the doctor's said" finished Pick with a small tear in his eye as he held his hand to his chest.

We carried on for a bit, all feeling a slight empathy for Pick and myself until Soarin came along and began his story. "Well my parents abandoned me, wasn't really much to begin with, at first the doctor's diagnosed my wings with some sort of condition so the circus told me they had dumped me with them and I was raised with the ringmaster's Pie Eating Champions" said Soarin and he suddenly looked up quizzically and mumbled "Actually it wasn't that bad" to which we all chuckled too. He continued however after ruffling his mane. "Well I did a bunch of things like walking the tightrope and throwing knives but when they found I could fly after I fell into the pony cannon and did some amazing trick they tried to keep me but I left and went to fulfil my dream as a Wonderbolt" he said finishing his only slightly happier story.

It seemed like an hour had passed and it was spent in complete silence as each one of us mulled over the other's childhood stories and eventually our own stories until Luna spoke up for the first time in two hours and much to our surprise she had her very own story to tell.

"I don't really remember much of my mother and father" she began. "I know that I had a very strong attachment to my father and my mother to my sister and I remember a few small details here and there like the colour of his eyes like galaxies and my mother's flaming mane but Tia might remember more since I was still quite a young filly when they…left" she said uneasily. "I do remember that they love me and my sister so very much and after they'd gone Tia looked after me and even promised "They'll be back". Since we were moving in a convoy I could tell Luna was getting emotional and I was really feeling sorry for her but she hadn't finished and continued "So me and my sister went on to rule in their place, destroying monsters and terrors that threatened the Kingdom whilst taking up the mantle of the Moon and the Sun, in fact during those times there was no time for a childhood so I got none and now here I am before thee, in the body of a mare I despise with memories I despise and a Kingdom which has moved on without me" she said as she began to cry.

We all moved forwards to comfort her but were stopped dead in our tracks when we heard the familiar and much hated voice of a certain deputy. "Oh please I've seen movies that had more detail than that pathetic little sob story"!

We all spun round to see a sky chariot pulled by two winged Royal Guards and what looked like ten other guards except all dressed in red tunics with a golden band over their chests al Pegasi. Deputy Thorn stepped off the chariot and looked at us with a grin. His eye was now covered with a black eye patch which matched his coat and he wore dark blue armour which looked a bit like Luna's.

"Oh you like the new gear?" he asked as he noticed us looking at his armour. "Yeah after my bravery in Dodge I was awarded the position of Captain in the newly formed Night Guard which I am now the Captain of and as you can see like the night itself and our glorious ruler Princess Luna she will never rest until you are brought to justice for the attempted murder of Celestia who is unfortunately in a coma thanks to that little assassination attempt.

Luna looked from me to Thorn Bush and asked two questions. "How is my sister in a coma and why is there a Night Guard"? Thorn seemed to process what Luna said for a moment before saying "It's true, you really are completely deluded into thinking that you…are Princess Luna…that's so very sad, and this Guard was set up to crackdown on terrorists like you so you can thank yourself for causing the mess you're in" he said grinning.

I now stepped into the conversation stating "Why would you work for Princess Luna, look at her she's supposedly been trapped as Nightmare Moon on the moon for a thousand years and tried to take over Equestria or something so why would you follow her" I asked and Thorn laughed saying "Water under the bridge, she's got her head screwed on and has even began to reach out to communities and small outskirt towns like Dodge and help building the places up, she's a fantastic leader and I am honoured to serve along with the Militia which I actually recruited from Dodge to help fight an evil menace" he finished staring at us.

"Get ready to fight but don't kill" I whispered to the other four as we now began a stand-off silence which Thorn Bush smiled all the way through. Luna's hoof raised slightly, ready to reach up and get her Crossbow on her back. Soarin's hoof also raised to get his throwing knives and Pick began to edge slightly away from the soon to be scene of the impending battle.

"Kill em" said Thorn Bush coolly, drawing his own black steel sword and jumping down from the chariot. The militia (which had weapons composed of swords and spears) charged at us in a dishevelled way with a rather terrifying battle cry of "Yahhhh".

I didn't draw my sword and instead grabbed a spear from the nearest Pony and used his charging momentum to throw him off. Next I broke the spear tip off and began using it like a light wooden club to whack oncoming ponies. Soarin threw two of his knives which lodged in the legs of two ponies which were then classed as out of the game and took to using his fast reactions and fists to fight another oncoming pony.

Luna was smarter and shot the sleeper dart in her Crossbow into a single file line of charging militia. The first on fell and the others toppled and before they could stand again Luna shot another dart into the one on top of the other, pinning him between the two fat mounds of flesh.

We had each taken on nine ponies in total and now Pick was struggling to stop a small dagger held by an old gambler type pony from going into his stomach so Luna went over to help. Soarin was busy tackling a young looking stallion he'd been in combat with since he'd taken out two others and I just cracked the third pony over the head and looked on at Thorn who was smiling and looking at me. "You know I will have fun plucking Luna's eyes from her head when I kill you and your friends" he chuckled.

My eyes widened as he said Luna and I exclaimed "You know the truth"! He laughed and yelled "What truth, that under the real Luna I'd just be some other Pony who was used to wash dishes and mend clothes, well Clearwater needs a pony like me who'll do the gritty stuff and guess what you're the gritty stuff so let me kill you and then avenge my rather missed eye" said Thorn as he charged at me sword up.

I had no time to draw my sword so blocked the sword with the wooden spear which was cleaved in two with one swipe. Already thinking the battle was won Thorn cried triumph and sliced at my neck with his sword, however I used the two shorts word sized pieces of wood to stab him in the stomach and then hit him in the right fore leg.

He cursed and dropped his sword which I lifted with my hoof and pointed directly at his chest. "Help me you foals" he shouted at the other two Pegasi who had been watching I awe at the very small skirmish from the chariot.

The first one leapt from the chariots pull section and drew his sword which clashed with my borrowed one. Thorn got back on the chariot and pointed to the other panicky Guard who was trying to unbuckle himself and help his friend. "You get me out of here now or you'll suffer my wrath.

He looked over at me and it distracted the guard I was fighting enough for me to disarm him and hit him in the head with the butt of my sword. He crumpled and the other Guard seeing this quickly spun round, building up speed he took off stressfully, pulling a lot of weight for him alone but not wanting to suffer the same fate as his friend.

Pick rolled to the side and knocked the pony to the ground, then Luna bucked him in the head and he slumped like a rag doll against a rock. Soaring punched his new friend right in the jaw which scared him enough after seeing his militia retreat to fly away as fast as possible.

The battle was over and by the looks of it we were no worse for wear. We'd used little ammunition and we had made some fair clear pointer to Thorn that we weren't to be messed with. "Ok can we break for lunch" asked Pick.

"You know what I totally agree with you on this one Pick" I said and Pick asked "Really"? I sighed, "No we need to get out of here before these ponies wake up" I said gesturing to the floor where many unconscious ponies obliviously rested.

"Don't worry, in five hours we'll be at the mountain if we hurry, then the interesting part begins" said Luna cheerfully despite just surviving a small scuffle. I admired her optimism but couldn't share it, being too exhausted I just wanted to sleep but I simply said "Let's get moving" and got up, throwing the black blade of Captain Thorn Bush of the Night Guard and wondering if Celestia really was in a coma.


	14. What Dwells Within

**What Dwells Within**

"This is more ridiculous than anything I have ever heard before, you want to actually go into this creepy cave alone without protection whilst we wait here and guard the entrance like a bunch of idiots?!" I yelled angrily at Luna who was lightly taken aback with my tone of voice.

We had walked for hours on end without rest and now that we'd arrived at this mysterious mountain and soon another well hidden cave which by the looks of it neither pony nor beast inhabited save for the spiders which only went as far as the entrance way.

"I agree with the Captain Princess, it will be too dangerous for you alone" said Soarin, agreeing with me. Pick looked down for a moment before simply nodding his head in agreement. We waited for Luna to say alright but instead a surprising and quite forceful "No!" came out.

"You do not understand this place like I and my sister do, it isn't like the ordinary caves that we have travelled to and holds such evil and magic more powerful than anything my Observatory could have foreseen for even it does not extend its sight down this far" she argued and hearing this I looked at Soarin for conformation.

He concentrated hard for a few moments before responding "Usually if you say the name of the place and I think about it then I get a slight headache if I try to remember it but I'm getting blank from my end". I looked back at Luna and simply stared for a moment before asking calmly but with authority "What is it that will help you reclaim your powers and form in this mountain Luna"? She looked at me now with eyes that pleaded that I say nothing more however I continued my questioning and asked "You never told me and I just assumed that it was some magical object or stream of rainbow magic, so now you need to trust me, Pick and Soarin and tell us the truth about what is in here or we'll simply follow you into here even if the guardian of Death tries to stop us".

Luna looked for one of us that she could convince but we all stuck to my lines and held her gaze as it swept over us. "You are right, all this time I should have told you about it" she started, sounding mighty regretful for some reason. "You see I shouldn't have led you even to the Bad Lands for you see that within this tunnel dwells a story older than time itself which my sister and I have guarded for millennia. Its origin is unknown even to us and the first ever magicians, but to describe it to you would be impossible for it has no form or shape that our eyes can register, instead it simply has…a presence which even an Earth Pony or Pegasus can notice, but to a Unicorn it is like their temperature sets alight" she described as she stood up and walked over lowly to the other side of the cave.

"But Princess what does this…presence have to do with magic and reclaiming you're powers?" asked Pick, voicing Soarin and I's question. "Well you see it's some kind of magical generator, how it works is unknown as is where and how it came to be but we know that it is powerful and despite how the ancestors and before that the tribes and then my sister and I kept it hidden down here, deep into the heart of the mountain it still radiates enough energy to fuel every Unicorn across the land" she explained as she picked up a small chipping of rock from the ground and brushed off the smooth cave wall she was next to.

"Wait…Wait so you're telling us that Unicorn's never generated their own magic but instead get it from this thing?" asked Soarin in disbelief. "Aye, is true that even I got my magic from this presence before I was made powerless. Of course other ponies can absorb more magic than others due to simple genes, for my sister and I the power flow is like and ocean and similarly with some Unicorn and strangely in new-born Unicorn babies, it's a magical anatomy thing that I was researching with Starswirl before his death" said Luna as she began to quickly mark the walls with many little scribbles.

I simply was amazed that Unicorn all across Equestria had no idea about this secret, which then prompted me to ask "Why has nopony else sought this out or discovered this power you speak of?" "I mean the magic would make them quite powerful and also with an asset like this which could do such things the possibilities could be endless.

Luna didn't stop writing on the wall and responded "That's part of the danger you see, my sister and I developed magical barriers, booby traps and all sorts of magical and physical ways to stop a pony from getting in here and since it is forever to be fuelled by this magical generator then these wards will last forever without fault or fail and strong magical algorithms which are so complex it took years to write, remember and then put into practice" explained Luna as she began to draw something on the wall.

She turned to us as she dropped the chipping and told us "Only I may walk through this tunnel as it is filled with wards and power which can not only harm physically but shatter minds in order to keep a secret which could cause Equestria to fall to its knees"!

Soarin spoke up again, asking "Was it always in this mountain Princess because you said that the ancestors or whoever kept it hidden"? Luna was glad to answer a lighter question on this overwhelming and amazing topic and responded "No it took the power of hundreds to move it and my the end half of their bodies had been reduced to ash whilst the other halves minds had been reduced to cinders, very few remained to tell the story of the day it was removed from the Everfree Forest's heart" she said and Pick gasped saying "You mean that's why the Everfree can make its own weather patterns and stuff"?

Luna nodded and I asked a question more directed to the caves. "Why can you not just get the wards to let us through or something"? "Luna stepped aside to reveal the writing in an ancient language with lots of numbers and symbols which I could never start to comprehend and explained "This Captain is you're entire being written down into the language of the core of magic, although I cannot yet use my magic again I can still detect each one of your magical beings and how magic makes you up".

I stepped back slightly as I stared at the wall of scribbles and asked "What are you saying we're all made up of magic"? She craned her head to the side and squinted her eyes and tried to make us all understand. "Yes and no, I was doing more research and tests on the matter but like most of my work it was halted before I could even make a start on it so yes my belief is that a layer of us is magic as perceived in another dimension which Unicorn can tap into whilst another layer is our flesh which the eyes can detect, I'm sorry I can't explain this well enough but that's the best I could come up with right now".

We certainly weren't complaining about getting the laymen's explanation and in fact I would have gladly thanked Luna had I not been overwhelmed and even slightly in fear at what lay in these mountains. What was worse was the fact that Luna had said none of us could accompany her. "Can you not make an exception for but one of us" I asked but she shook her head, saying "It would take me months to alter these already very complex wards to allow you through and we don't have time for that and besides, no creature dwells within this mountain for the magical energy would most likely have altered or destroyed them and me and mine sister made sure that nothing except stale air was in these caves before we warded it".

"Princess Luna" I said with a serious look in my eyes which were probably perceived as cold hardness but actually were under layered with worry. "I do not like this one bit. The fact that none of us can protect you means that you're going to be vulnerable to physical attack" I said but she brushed my comment aside and drew her crossbow with her right fore hoof. "We've been through some stuff to get here Captain and I think I can handle myself well enough to fight off whatever comes my way" she said and although I agreed that she had been and seen terrible things and fought bravely and courageously throughout, saving my life at some moments and generally maturing from the first time I met her when she was still acting like a pleading and scared filly. She'd gained authority but she lacked the years of experience from being kept in her personal standstill of a prison.

"Princess…just be careful and we'll protect this entrance from whatever gets thrown at it" I promised despite my concern. "Thank you Captain and you two as well" she said looking at Pick and Soarin "You've all been too kind in helping me despite the obstacles that have been thrown at us and I swear that I shall make everything right when I kill Clearwater" she said with malice which made me frown slightly. Luna had never used the word kill before, in fact she had barely killed and it was always in self-defence. Still it was a heat of the moment and probably wasn't really what she meant, even so I also knew that given the choice I'd probably kill Clearwater for Luna if I had to.

"I will return in a day and if I do not then do not come looking for me" she said as she strapped a saddlebag to her back and proceeded deeper into the cave. "Just be careful Princess!" I yelled after her but her form seemed to just become enveloped by the Darkness and my voice along with it.

"What do we do now?" asked Soarin. "We could start a fire" suggested Pick but I scolded him sharply, stating sarcastically "Oh yes because I can see acres of forest all around us"! The other two didn't seem to appreciate my worrisome and angry tone and Soarin said "Chill man, Pick didn't deserve that no matter how annoying he is".

Despite the fact I really would have like an argument, Soarin made a point and I nodded and suggested "Why don't we sit down at least and tell each other what it was like before this happened" I suggested, meaning for them to get a conversation going while I dozed lightly and waited for Luna's return.

"Oh how about the time I got my Cutie Mark?" asked Pick and Soarin rubbed his eyes and asked "Don't tell me, you were breaking into a safe and you found some treasures inside"? "Wow how'd you guess?" asked Pick and I could only roll my eyes. "So Soarin the Wonderbolt, how'd you come about you're Cutie Mark?" I asked a Soarin's eyes lit up and he began his tale.

"Well back in Las Pegasus…" and that was about all I heard before my eyes drooped and suddenly I was hit my sleep I had denied myself for quite some time in fear of the dreams and memories. "Strange that I had fallen asleep so quickly" I thought but then asked myself how I knew I was actually asleep since usually a pony can't tell when they're asleep.

_Suddenly my eyes began to flash and I was in the caves. My heart was racing fast and I'd been running, from what I didn't know but I felt the fear in my heart, the same fear that had been with me throughout the trip but simply pushed down by the knowing that the Captain always turned up and saved the day and would always be there for me no matter what. Wait…I looked at my hoof and saw it was white and covered in scars, looking at the floor I saw I was smaller too, but hadn't I always been small?_

_The thing was coming closer and I began to run again, through the wards and barriers my sister and I had erected years before. I felt suddenly very lonely without my sister and the Captain or even the other two who I'd come to know as friends over the few weeks I'd been back in civilization, the things I'd seen and now as I hit the back of the tunnels dead end and turned round to see my death looming I could only scream._

I awoke with the same cry if not somewhat more masculine and breathed heavily. The other two woke up and looked at me with worry when they saw my distressed and sweaty face. "What's wrong Cap?" asked Pick and I simply looked at him before springing into action.

"Nothing, Luna's in trouble and I need to help, stay here and cover the rear whilst I go in and help" I told them as I grabbed my sword and donned the dried blood stained robes which were in my saddlebag. "Wait what do you mean in trouble and how do you know?" asked Soarin but I simply shook and stated "There's no time and we need the entrance clear, don't move and I'd suggest staying awake" I told them as I clipped on my sword and dashed forwards into the darkness.

Soarin put his hoof on my shoulders and stopped me and I looked back into his eyes and had a small mental conversation with him. He grudgingly took his hoof off and I galloped on, further until the light of the tunnel faded behind me.

If they had protested then it was lost in said Darkness which I was now wading through. Everything was hard to see and although ponies had great vision my night vision was limited to five feet in front of me and I made sure to gallop carefully, in case I ran into a wall or something.

That's when it hit me. The barriers which I'd probably already passed and the wards. I was probably stuck in an endless tunnel loop or maybe I had gone insane or something already without knowing it. However I went ahead, not bothering for my own safety or the potential chance that I had already failed my mission. I galloped through the dark and felt eyes everywhere despite the fact that the darkness revealed nothing to me.

I ran aimlessly but even though Starswirl (or the dream of him) had helped me I felt a lot better but still despite so I was still going to get tired eventually. I stopped to catch breath and coughed loudly. I looked around and saw I was at a junction in the tunnels. I was worried that I was already too late but then I heard a cry to the northern tunnel and ran in that direction.

Upon entering a large and quite wide open space I saw a small amount of light illuminated from the glowing green mushrooms growing on the side of the walls which showed what looked like Luna, staring wide eyed and backed up and standing on her hind legs against a wall with her crossbow out and a small trickle of blood running down her head.

"Luna" I yelled and when she turned I'd imagined a look of relief on her face but instead I received one of something I'd never imagine to see…fear. "No…leave me alone…!" she yelled and started running. I followed behind her and quickly gained ground on her but she turned round and pointed the crossbow I'd give to her right at my chest.

"Please don't make me do it…please" she begged with tears in her eyes. "Princess this is madness, I would never harm you, stop this and we'll go through these tunnels together I saw you getting chased In my dreams and I came to save you" I explained hurriedly but she didn't seem convinced.

"But what about those things which you said before and why did you try and strangle me!" she yelled but this puzzled me greatly and I was about to ask what the hay she was talking about but we were interrupted by a snarl which echoed through the tunnels and I instinctively moved towards Luna.

She pulled the trigger on her crossbow and a deadly dart spiralled through the air and pierced my flank hard. I cried out and fell and could only watch as Luna galloped away from me as fast as she could into the darkness of the tunnel. "Luna come back!" I yelled but my voice was lost in the echoing tunnels.

I looked at my flank and saw that the dart had hit dead in the centre of my cutie mark. Despite the small size it was designed to hit hard and it was embedded deep. I couldn't believe that Luna would do such a thing to me and deemed that the beast chasing her must have somehow scrambled her mind in a similar way that I had tried to kill myself during that dream.

I decided it best to ignore what had happened and get the bolt out so I grabbed the fletching with my teeth and after a deep breath pulled. I gritted my teeth as the bolt slid through and thanked myself for not asking for barbed arrowheads or else I'd need serious medical attention.

However I was still hurting greatly and there was quite a lot of blood spurting from my wound. I would need to fix it later but right now I needed to find Luna so I tore a bloody rag from my robes and dressed my wound with it.

It wasn't exactly clean but right now all I cared about was finding Luna and getting out of theses cursed tunnels. Suddenly I heard a noise and turned as quick as I could with my sword between my teeth in preparation for some terrifying beast.

However I was more than surprised by the image of Luna which materialised in front of me out of the gloom al scared and beaten. "Luna what has happened to you!" I gasped as I ran over to her and she began to cry. "Oh Captain, you swore you'd be there for me and I trusted you but you weren't there…you weren't there" she cried and turned to the darkness once more.

"Wait Luna" I said limping quickly to her but before I could do anything she was gone once more. "Luna please don't go" I shouted into the dark but was given only my echo as a response. Suddenly from behind however I heard running and this time I saw Pick but to my horror his eye was swollen and he seemed to be missing a leg.

He limped over to me and grabbed my head and screamed "You took me from my town and life and now you've taken my leg"! I stumbled back and dropped my sword and believed he would have killed me had Soarin not come along and knocked into him in a flash.

Thankful yet still in shock I made to stand up but he had already pushed his hoof down on my chest to prevent it and yelled "You think I'm not much of a Wonderbolt hay, then how about this for moves" and he hit me twice hard in my injured flank. I cried out in pain and swept his hooves from under him, then grabbed him into a hoof-lock.

However Pick barrelled into me once more and before I could regain my footing they had taken off into the darkness. "Wait you two, I can help I don't understand!" I yelled after them but they had disappeared just like Luna had at the start of all this madness.

Suddenly it got worse though and I felt some cold chill go along my back and when I turned I saw something more shocking and frightening than all the others who'd come screaming and tormenting me but moments ago. It was I, just as I looked right now but more sharper and clean looking.

I couldn't move for my brain was al devoted towards determining if o was mad a mad pony or if this was real. "Hello there Captain" other me said before he clasped my head between his hooves and my head exploded in pain.

Suddenly it seemed like I was not the only pony in my mind as I felt a foreign presence go through it, sifting through memories and dreams and causing me excruciating pain. I saw my life, my childhood, my parents and my time as a Guard which seemed to please the presence and it seemed to go back and look at my memories of Canterlot, Celestia and the Guard and by this time however I regained my strength and told myself "Not this time" and with a huge mental push I expelled the presence.

Suddenly the blackness which had taken over my sight had left and the dull light reappeared and showed me a different pony, hard to make out in the dark but covered in black with sickly green and straggly mane and insect features with maggot holes in her hooves.

"Wha…" was all I could say before she hissed and declared In quite a vicious voice to match her looks "It doesn't matter I have what I need and now you shall die" she cackled and retreated into the shadow like the others had once more.

"Hey get back here!" I yelled but all I heard was an echoing cackling and I screamed in anger and frustration as I gave slow chase, injured as I was in anger at this beast and whatever it had done to mess with my mind. However as I went onwards I was once again met with Luna however this time she wasn't looking so helpless and instead was armed with a sword and a rather cocky grin unlike her.

"Luna" I gasped in relief before looking around and asking "Did you see where she went"? "Oh yes, right behind me, I saluted as she went by in fact" she said strangely. "Luna this isn't the time to be joking around she is dangerous and can mess with our minds" I told her as I turned my back to look for her.

"Oh Captain, you worry too much" said Luna as she got closer to me and eventually put a goof to my shoulder and said quite casually "Maybe you would relax better if I eased the tension in your spine". "What are you talking about?" I asked turning round and thankfully bringing my sword up, instinctively sensing trouble.

Luna swung the sword she was holding in her hooves at my neck and I deflected it barely in time and thankfully saved my head from becoming a separate part of me. "Luna what the buck are you doing!" I yelled in anger and surprise but she didn't stop and instead continued with a following slice aimed at my chest.

I also blocked that hit and backed up a bit but was quickly confronted by Luna once more as she charged at me, sword raised. "Don't do this Luna, that evil pony must have poisoned your mind but you can fight this" I said as we clashed once more but looking deep into her glowing green eyes she shook her head and said "You're on the right track but it is not my mind which is the problem but yours" said the evil Luna as she tried to stab me.

I deflected the strike to the side and tried to grab her but she hit me in my injured flank and I went down with a grunt, dropping my sword beside me. Luna moved until she was standing over me, sword poised to end me but I tried once more to stop her, this time pleading "Please Luna you don't want to do this"!

The evil Luna cackled and cried "Oh yes I do, maybe it will feel just like how you felt when you killed your wife!" and with that the rather plain, steel short sword came down but stopped just before it could stab my face. Instead my much longer sword of moonstone steel had cut deep into Luna, pinning her above me with a look of shock and resentment in her eyes.

I had reacted so soon in anger without even thinking, I didn't mean to do it but I had and now Luna was quite obviously going to die. I pushed my sword to one side and Luna fell with it, her small white body stained red as my blade pulled out. The blood stank and pooled around her and she began to cough, I could only lay there, hooves shaking in shock but eventually when I did stand and look over her I was surprised by the visage I saw.

Luna had gone and instead of red the blood was some kind of sticky dark green and the body was of a dying pony similar to the large female with insect features form I'd chased earlier, only smaller and probably a male. It looked up into my eyes pleadingly but its life was ended quickly when a bolt slammed into the back of his head and he died then and there.

I looked up and raised my green stained sword but saw yet another Luna who was also as wide eyed and shaky as me. We both looked at each other, not lowering our weapons and Luna asked "Let me guess, you just killed me but It turned into…that thing"? I nodded my head in affirmative and she lowered her crossbow and ran over to me, hugging me tight and saying shakily "I knew you'd come for me, I don't know what these things are but they can take shape and I thought at first it was you and when you tried to kill me I ran then shot the real you and then ran more before killing what I believed was you and running in this direction and meeting the real you" she said confusingly.

"Apology accepted we need to get out of here" I said and she nodded and told me "The cavern which housed the magical generator is gone; I knew that the magical presence of this mountain was false. My sister must have hidden it somewhere and I don't know where" she said which dis-heartened me since we'd taken about three weeks to get here alone.

"It doesn't matter Luna" I told her as I limped as fast as I could along the corridors "We'll just find it again but right now we need to get out of here and the darkness isn't helping" I said squinting in the shadow. Luna smiled at this and said "Oh I think I can help with that" and suddenly to my great surprise (was getting a lot of surprises today) her horn was encased in a blue shining bright light which revealed the tunnel forward and behind.

"Wait…how did you?" I began to ask but Luna cut me off and explained "Magic, although the magical generator is gone it still has left hundreds of years' worth of magical residue and I was able to find it and absorb it and somehow fix the problem which kept me from using magic".

"Well it's a surprise that's for certain but this whole place is just one big nasty surprise, for a minute I'd thought I'd killed you and all was lost" I said still remembering the feeling of anger when that pony had mentioned my wife.

"I agree, when I killed you I felt like I was some sort of murderer but when I looked I couldn't believe my eyes, I thought you were real though because of the things you said and I just thought it was my mind at first but when I saw you I knew I wasn't dreaming or imagining it" said Luna as we hurried on aimlessly through the tunnels.

"How did those things know about us Luna, they knew about…my wife and they somehow got inside my head and I think they saw everything about me and what we were here for…I'm not sure but those creatures, could they somehow be protection for the magical presence once housed here?" I asked not sure but giving it a go anyway.

"No these creatures looked pony, they might be some undiscovered race or possibly some illusion but whatever they are they can change forms easily and are hostile so next time I see one a bolt is going right between its eyes" said Luna as suddenly the tunnel began to get brighter as natural light filtered in and we saw what looked like the bodies of two more of the creatures followed by a small trail of blood leading to the outside.

Luna looked at me worriedly and I at her and we both made our way quickly out of the cursed mountain tunnels and into the light of the Bad lands.


	15. Not All Change is Good

**Not All Change Is Good**

Rushing outside into the bright daylight of the Bad Lands, We were glad to see Pick and Soarin up and waiting for us. I tensed as I saw a fresh trail of blood down Soarin's leg, but as I looked up I realized it was only a minor wound that had been already cleaned and bandaged. Pick looked no worse for wear, so I relaxed a little. I turned slightly to stare into the tunnels in case the strange shape- shifting creatures decided to jump out and attack again.

"Thank goodness you both made it out of them creepy tunnels," Pick said with a hoof on his heart.

"We bailed from the entrance when some kind of hallucinations of ourselves tried to kill us while we were asleep," said Soarin as he probed his his wound with his hoof.

"They weren't hallucinations. They were some kind of different species of pony" I said as I looked back into the tunnel for any sign of movement.

"They had some kind of bug wings and eyes and stuff. We didn't get a good look, I only remember jolting awake when Soarin shouted and then fighting myself for my dagger" said Pick.

"It was terrifying.. If there are more of those bug-ponies and if they ever want to invade Equestria then I pity Celestia.." said Soarin.

I had a similar opinion. Luna shifted into a classic thinking pose. "What are you thinking?" I asked.

She looked back at the tunnels and then up at me and replied "It's what you told me before, and what Soarin just said. You say that the creature which took my form had made your skull burn, and it was like it was sifting through your memories about Canterlot and my sister. Then Soarin mentions how they could benefit from their unique power if they could only utilise it on a massive scale" she explained, laying out the quite obvious now.

"Sweet Celestia, they're going to invade Equestria!" exclaimed Pick.

Luna looked up at him, puzzled, and completely off topic asked "What do you mean sweet Celestia? What does my sister have to do with this"? "Princess, it's an expression that many ponies have adopted during the last thousand years, " I explained. "Maybe in time they'll adopt one about you as well."

"How ridiculous the modern world is," she chuckled before retuning to the matter at hoof. "Well it might not be the intention of those things to actually harm Equestria, they might be leaderless or there might only be a few of them, but we definitely know that they are intelligent, cunning, and can use weapons quite well. We need to do two things and they aren't going to be easy" she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

I expected her to tell us that we had to recruit some ancient cult, or blow up a factory or something, but instead it was quite simple and straightforward.

"We need to find the Magical Source, and we need to warn Canterlot. This will require access to the Royal Archives. This is why I now ask you, Captain Backwater to tell us how exactly to gain access to the archives." Luna said as her gaze shifted towards me.

Having the responsibility to form a plan dropped onto my shoulders was unexpected, but my training as a Captain prepared me to lead confidently as well as follow orders. "Well it isn't going to be a walk in the park, and when I say that I mean it'll be easier to to take down an Ursa Major than to try and break into those archives".

"Excuse me Captain" said Soarin, raising his hoof, "but I've been in Canterlot many times and I've seen many ponies go in and out of the archives all the time with only a guard there to check their ID. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to incapacitate them and break through the door." He said.

I shook my head and pointed out what was wrong with his plan. "Yes, that would usually be true, however when Canterlot has a stage three effect, which I'm positive Clearwater will have hyped up, then it will protect three main things; the Royal Family, the Royal Treasury and finally the Royal Archives which means more Guards, more thorough checks, and spells cast by Celestia and any unicorn guards with protection spell training." I explained, and this slightly killed the mood.

"But there must be some way that we can infiltrate Canterlot, some fail safe or security loop…anything?" Tried Luna desperately.

I again shook my head and instead asked her "What about magic? You have some of your magic back to some degree now. Could you do anything to make us invisible or teleport us or something?"

"Wait, you got your magic back?" asked Pick and Soarin simultaneously.

I ignored them and Luna replied to my question. "My magic is at the level of a basic Unicorn, and although I know and could try to maintain an illusion spell, which is one of my specialities in magic, I could not disarm any of these wards which could only be removed only by the magic of the highest Unicorn.

"Well what if we somehow didn't sneak in ourselves, but got somepony else to sneak in for us instead?" I suggested as a plan began to formulate in my head.

"You're saying that we could get another pony in to find what we need from the archives and plant the message?" asked Luna and I nodded.

"Wait, do you have contacts within Canterlot who could assist us?" asked Soarin.

I shook my head and replied "No, but I know somepony who does."

"Really? Are you going to be telling us who exactly it might be kind Captain?" asked a rather familiar and sinister voice.

We all spun around to look at what appeared to be a very tall and thin pony, about Celestia's height with indeed the look of part pony, part bug just like I'd seen in the cave. The only thing I noticed now in the light was her razor sharp fangs, slit-pupil eyes, and her twisted horn. Behind her was about twenty of her minions who looked almost exactly like her only smaller, with bug eyes and a cocky malevolent look on each of their faces.

Luna raised her Crossbow, Soaring reared on his hind legs and drew two throwing knives, and Pick and I drew our blades. I stood ready for battle, while Pick nervously tried to look at anywhere but the group which would be coming at us shortly after a typical evil monologue.

"You know Captain, it's a shame you aren't still in the guard, as my job would have been so much easier…However from the images in your mind I was able to see before you so rudely pushed me out were…interesting enough for me to make this work." She smiled with her fangs and Luna pushed forward and loudly asked "Who are you and what do you want with Canterlot?!"

There was a horribly typical villainous laugh on her part which made me want to instantly charge right then and there. She answered "I don't think you quite know what you're dealing with?"

"Please, enlighten us," said Luna evil bug pony responded with a bow and pleasantly replied "Very well. We are the Changelings, and I am their queen, Chrysalis. The devourer of Kingdoms and the destroyer of love." she announced spectacularly, but because we still had no idea what she was talking about it fell flat.

"Ok," she huffed with an annoyed look "Basically we can take on the form of any pony you've ever known and loved and use that love against you, so that when you submit we will drain the love out of you which will feed me and my armies for hundreds of years!"

"So if you can drain entire Empires and stuff, how come I ain't never heard of you?" spat Pick trying to sound brave.

"Well, once you are fully drained of love you'll be nothing but an empty shell which over time will starve to death." smiled Chrysalis.

We were beginning to realize the real danger we were in when Soarin yelled "You don't scare us you crazy bitch!"

Chrysalis smiled and asked "Ah yes, you were in the Captain's mind…tell me how do you like fighting you're fellow Wonderbolt's?" and before our eyes she flashed a bright and slightly green tinted light and suddenly there was a pony in a Wonderbolt uniform with bright orange and yellow hair and a witty smirk standing before us.

If I knew this pony then it must have been deep in my mind but the effect on Soarin was immediate.

He tensed up, and took a small step forward. "Spitfire?" he asked quietly.

I pulled him back and turned him towards me. "It's not her Soarin!" He snapped out of the slight daze and looked back saying "I'm still not afraid of you!"

Chrysalis laughed and looked to Luna. She gestured to her as if Luna was some kind of circus act and would do some backflips for her. "Whatever it is thou intend to show me it won't work on me." she said calmly, but with determination in her eyes. Before us, the form of the Wonderbolt Spitfire shifted into something I had feared would appear.

"Perhaps the vision of your ruler will be enough to make you tremble," laughed the voice of Celestia maniacally. Although I had assumed that Chrysalis couldn't read minds without actually coming into contact with ponies due to what she said about Soarin, she must have switched to something which she'd expect Luna to recognize which, unbeknownst to her, was actually Luna's older sister.

"Tell me, my little pony, why such a small and frail thing like yourself would be all the way out here in the Bad Lands with their fickle crossbow. Is it for the magical source? Or maybe you're just here to try and prove a point to somepony like me!" patronized Chrysalis, and despite the fact that Luna held strong she couldn't hold in a tear that fell down her cheek. The single tear tuned into many, and the cruel Queen laughed.

I was going to step forward and do my very best to chop off that whores head clean off when Pick decided to speak up again and shouted "Why don't you go back to your creepy cave and rot"! Despite his attempt at bravery, all it took from Chrysalis to make him fall back down on his hooves with a pitiful whinny was small stomp and an evil grin.

She chuckled, but then I looked right into her eyes, the eyes she'd stolen from my sovereign and explained to the others "She's just demoralizing us by showing us loved ones. I can tell you now, Chrysalis, that you're little tricks won't work on me"!

She seemed to smile at this and I took a step forward as if to say 'try me'.

She gladly accepted, saying "I love a little challenge. It's been too many years". She looked into my eyes, and asked "Its strange that you served for so long in the Guard but don't love your Princess, all I'm detecting is a cocky bravado." She laughed and shifted shape.

"I know you didn't see too far inside my head, I know that you can't manipulate me" I yelled but she'd already taken on a new form which despite my best efforts did widen my eyes.

"Well son, I had expected that you'd make me proud, but all you were was a disappointment… a mistake," said the form of my father.

I chuckled on through the image and said "My Father never expected anything of me. The only mistake was that I didn't leave home sooner."

Once more the form changed and now it was that of Luna. She begged "Please Captain, if you don't surrender now they'll kill me! You promised to protect me Captain, please!"

"Oh come on! Luna's standing right next to me" I scoffed. The image of Luna snarled, and concentrated. Chrysalis's must have been searching my memories for something to get a reaction from me, but I was sure she hadn't seen my last days in the guard.

Suddenly she grinned and began to change again and I coughed when the visage appeared. "Honey, you heard her. You need to stop this right now…for my sake." Said the pony who I dreaded most.

"Stop this.. Damnit fine!" I yelled as I looked away from my wife, but the cherry eyes and cherry coat which I had fallen in love with was irresistable to my eyes. It had been years since I 'd seen anything but dreams and memories of her, but her bright orange mane still shone like a daffodil and her face still radiated an arrogant life which I'd fallen in love with.

"Why can't you listen to your wife?" asked her lips but not her mind.

"Chrysalis stop this now!" I said as my eyes watered and although she had probably never seen what I'd done she made a fatal mistake.

"Or else what…you'll kill me? even you don't have the guts for that!"

That did it. I snapped, and screamed my rage to the sky before taking probably the largest bound ever and bringing my sword down in mid-air towards that whore bitch of a bug-Queen. Had one of the Queens guard's not been so alert then she would have been cut in half. Instead, however he threw himself into the arch of my sword and I felt the small resistance as I changed him into two bits of dead changeling.

Chrysalis instantly changed back into her true self with a look of shock on her face and stumbled back a few paces as I again swung my sword in anger. I roared as I cut through half the head of the changeling closest to me. "I'll kill you all if I have to!" I shouted.

The other eighteen Changelings made to attack but instantly three fell with a crossbow bolt in ones chest and two throwing knives in the necks of the others.

Three more Changelings fell thanks to the hooves of Luna and Soaring as I sliced the legs of another, before deflecting a black dagger aimed for my neck and cutting across the belly of the owner.

Pick stood there and looked as menacing as possible while Soarin charged in and stabbed a knife in the rib of the Changeling nearest to him.

It fell and he continued to the next aggressor while Luna charged her horn with magic and shot three bolts of thunderous blue energy at the group surrounding me. Four of them instantly fell asleep on their hooves, leaving the unfortunate remaining five to me.

I stabbed one through the neck and he gurgled as a spray of blood hit the eyes of his companion, blinding him and giving me time to slice a deep cross across his chest. The next Changeling looked worried but I helped ease the expression with a sharp stab in the chest, which by the feeling punctured through his heart. I then proceeded to decapitate the head of one of the last two, who had been trying to sneak up on me.

I saw Chrysalis about to slip back into the caves, but before she did I pushed down the last of her "soldiers" with a hoof and broke a

One of its legs with a buck of my back legs. It screamed as I reared and grabbed him by his horn.

I yelled "Chrysalis!" She turned around and looked at me in shock and fear. "If you ever touch Luna, come near Canterlot, or leave your filthy little caves agian, then I swear that this will happen to you!" I spat with as much malice as I could fit into my voice.

"Don't!" cried Luna as she realised what I was about to do and in my mind a voice told me to stop this as well. However another louder voice from somewhere deep inside screamed "DO IT!" So I did. The warmth of the Changeling's neck was quickly deposited all over my face, chest, and legs as my sword was drawn across his throat roughly. His eyes widened in panic as his green blood sprayed into the air and he began to choke as it filled his throat and airways.

All the time that I held the dying soldier I was looking at Chrysalis with a look of hatred on my face, and although she would escape I couldn't help but feel satisfaction as the spry of green blood ended and the creature drowned in its own blood.

Soarin knocked the other Changeling unconscious and stood up to look at the still convulsing bug-pony and I, with my sword held high and covered from head to hoof in its green slimy blood.

Pick was shaking despite having done nothing, and Luna was distressed. Soarin just looked away and as for me I simply stepped over the bodies of the dead and through all of their blood and asked "Why do you all seem so tense, we won!" To my surprise I didn't get a pat on the back for killing nine of these evil things, and when Luna stepped up to me I expected a hug or a shake of the hoof in appreciation but instead I received a painful surprise.

There was an audible smack as her hoof smacked into my face and my head was thrown to one side. I would have raised my sword out of instinct had I not been so completely surprised, and before I could start shouting for slapping me for no reason she began screaming at me.

"What is wrong with you! You're only supposed to kill your enemy if you really need to! You could have incapacitated him or at least killed him quickly but instead you basked in a fountain of his blood like a Champion from my time!"

"I…I don't understand" I mumbled, my anger and the pain on my cheek replaced with confusion. Although as my sense of reason began to return, i realized what a truly monstrous thing i'd done.

"He may not have been a pony but he was still very much a living thing and you should've respected that you old foal!" Luna screamed in anger as tears welled up in her eyes.

I didn't know what to do. I tried moving to comfort her but she put up her hoof and said "Don't… Just don't." So I didn't, instead I watched as Pick went over to her and have her a comforting hug as she cried into his shoulder. Now, as I saw and felt his judging eyes upon me she began crying into his shoulder as he caressed her hair. I began to feel extreme guilt for what I had done and I couldn't help but hang my head low in shame.

"Guys, I know this isn't the best of times but I think she said that she had armies in there, so we should probably get going," said Soarin with a level of urgency in his voice. I could only nod as I began walking towards him, away from the cave entrance. However, before I left, I turned and tore my robes from my body and flung them into the mass of unconscious and dead Changelings.

Although I was fairly clean once more my face, mane, and tail were still stained with blood that was already beginning to rot. Soarin retrieved his knives from the unmoving or whimpering bodies they were embedded in and I did the same with Luna's bolts.

I looked at the map and said ashamedly to Soarin "If we can get four hours away from here we'll be able to climb a smaller part of these mountains and by tomorrow be in the Haysead Swamps."

He nodded and thankfully began to lead the way. Away from the scene of a victorious, yet shameful battle and to a safer destination. Luna was still disgusted by my actions and the others were quite silent. None of the usual chatter or amusing jokes came from Pick or anypony else. Instead we just walked on in silence. For me, it was a blessing. It gave me time to reflect on my own thoughts.

**REALLY big thanks to **The Awes0me 0ne **for Editing my terrible Engrish **


	16. Swamp

**Swamp **

_This time it was easy to tell that I was indeed dreaming. I could see by the way the moon looked above an imaginative Canterlot as well as the avatar of me which was patrolling through the streets with a squad of guards in search of any thieves or beggars to boot from the Shining Capital._

_"Take two others and patrol around the secondary square and report back her in two hours" I ordered a few guards and they saluted and left to fulfil the task. It was a quiet night like the many hundreds which Canterlot slept safely and peacefully through without the worries of other cities pollution and such._

_However I wasn't to know that having been brought up in a moderately well-off family in a quaint small town in the middle of meadows and bunnies so I believed at the time that all cities were like Canterlot. So I marched proudly without my legs tiring in knowledge that I had a duty to preserve something I loved and that it was good enough for me._

_For some behind me however they were a little more realistic and walking around town for five hours was bloody freezing. However they like me were trained to be silent and visual of our situation and we all took this training very seriously._

_Looking at another past version of myself I felt a mixture of admiration and disgust at the same time all jumbled in. On one hand I had a really great body but on the other my mind was stable if still naïve to the greater world but despite all that I missed not sleeping at night and when I did sleep waking up to nightmares._

_"You were going to have a nightmare but I was able to block it and you filled in the space" said a voice from behind and I spun and saw it was Luna. Although she was like nothing I'd ever seen, I remember when she'd intruded on my dreams before that she was some broken and flicker movie image but now she was solid and in a dream looked a lot like Clearwater except with a kinder face._

_"I suppose this is the first time we've been introduced properly" I said smiling weakly but not with humour in my voice but sadness. "Luna I just wanted to apologise for a few hours ago when we were defending against Chrysalis, I had seen how she was demolishing our moral from my memories but I thought that…she hadn't been one of those memories" I explained._

_"No the fault lies with me Captain, I reacted disgracefully back there when you had just more than likely saved our lives my charging into the fray of ponies before they could change and confuse us with each other's forms" she said obviously trying to make me feel better for my recent but probably not the last sin I'd recently added to my list._

_"Princess we all know that it was my own anger which killed without the need to and although I can't change what I did I can regret it for the rest of my life" I said feeling the need for alcohol all of a sudden greatly to…ease myself loathing._

_"It was clearly a kill or be kill situation and if I were in your position I'm sure o would most definitely kill" she told me confidently but then I counteracted her argument when I explained "I once saw a chart which showed that a Royal Guard throughout five hundred years never draws blood of an enemy except for three cases one of which was me, I'm a bad pony Princess and I fear that the battle rage which I seem to go into will one day consume me"._

_Luna shook her flowing mane to and fro in denial and told me "Never, you can always stop yourself and come back to me, you came back after the Observatory and all those other times you defended and never left my side after little to no convincing when right now you could have taken me to your employer"._

_When she said this I became worried and recalled the ponies which I had killed in the desert and the crazy plan that I'd been considering before I had been interrupted. "My employer, I don't know who she is or how to find her, all I was given was the task to find you and wipe away all my debt which included my wife…" I mumbled the last words as I began to think carefully._

_"What is it you're thinking about?" asked Luna. "Well the way I remember it going about Princess was that they didn't want to kill you but capture you and maybe utilise the powers which you had and when I found you I thought you were to be some kind of crazy criminal who they wanted to turn into a super weapon or maybe something to control the crown but, and this is a crazy idea…but if we go to Manehatten and then find this pony, then she will be able to get the contacts that we need to warn Canterlot and find out if and where the Magical source has been moved to" I suggested._

_The idea sounded far-fetched and looking up at the full moon of my dream I even admitted that the result would most likely be Luna captured and the rest of us dead however Luna began to trot through the dark streets of Canterlot and I followed her as she seemed to relax and perhaps contemplate my crazy scheme._

_"Canterlot is more sophisticated than I remember it to be, you have these lamps of electricity and the cobbles of the wide roads are all lined straight. My sister and I never visited Canterlot, it was the residence of the old Unicornian Royal Family and it had secrets built into the foundations of the mountainside which we did not wish to unravel despite the fact it was the centre of Equestria" stated Luna as she gazed around my dream._

_"How is it that we can walk through my dream like this?" I asked and she looked at me and happily explained "Well I am in a way walking through your brain which is making up all the thought processes as we go, of course I'm restricted only to one part but eventually if I could regain my powers and with great concentration I can bend the wills of others"._

_"Wait…you mean you can take over ponies minds!" I exclaimed in amazement. "Oh yes but only those who are weak minded or lack any train of thought, your mind to me looks to be inaccessible" she commented looking around as if she were surveying a house._

_"How's the magic going though, it's obviously affected you greatly I mean you can walk through dreams now" I said and then had a thought and asked "Can you see into the dreams of Clearwater"? Luna snarled and said "Neigh, my power isn't that strong in fact I can barely access ponies dreams which are more than a few miles away when once I could have protected the dreams of all of Equestria at the same time every night whilst I watched over the Kingdom"._

_She seemed bitter and I supposed that she was remembering Clearwater and after a short moment of silence she said "I'm not as strong a leader as my sister, I'm not as strong a politician as my sister, I'm not as strong a magical wielder as my sister and overall I'm not as brave as you who has kept me standing when I would fall. I can design amazing things and calculate trajectories of magical fluctuation using pencils and string and although my speciality is warding and illusion spells I know the basics in other fields and will put them to use whenever there is a problem"._

_I listened on in silence whilst she told me about her flaws and strengths, not knowing what she was leading up to if there was even a point or it was just talk. "I think we should do it…your plan is the only one right now that we can use since we are blind and deaf when it comes to Canterlot. I won't be able to defeat Clearwater without my magic and form restored to what it used to be" she finally said._

_"You never told me, how did Clearwater do this to you? I mean you were one of the most powerful beings in Equestria and although from the file I'd read she looked to be a pretty special Unicorn I still want to ask how she could have bested you and how she could have done this to you"? I asked curiously since it would have taken some pretty powerful magic to do._

_"I too don't know exactly how she could have done this, however my guess is she used some magical artefact long lost to our knowledge which enhanced her powers greatly" said Luna bitterly and I nodded taking the explanation before wondering about something. "Luna, Clearwater was Starswirl the Bearded's student correct"? _

_She stopped walking along the well-lit streets of my dream and stared straight ahead. "Yes she was" she replied quickly but I wasn't finished and carried on, asking "But the file I read mentioned that Celestia was also student to Starswirl so were you also his student?" I asked and she nodded and said " I was his student but long before Clearwater, however since Starswirl and I were doing extensive research on a multiple amount of things I came into a lot of contact with her and although I was never directly her friend we knew each other very well"._

_"It must have been hard though" I said putting a hoof on her shoulder. She remained cool despite the emotions churning inside her and replied "Yes It was hard, after the foundations of peace had been laid for the future everything seemed to look brighter but Clearwater's betrayal and from what I've seen of this new world I really want to ask myself whether or not it was all for nothing"._

_I knew it would be hard to convince Luna that although this world had its problems it was actually sunshine and bunnies but since I couldn't probably find the words I had a better idea and since this was my dream I focused on thinking of something bright._

_Suddenly the setting began to change and shift from the gloomy streets of Canterlot to the balcony leading into the throne room. Celestia was there and smiling along with Prince Blueblood and a bunch of other very obscure relatives I'd never heard about or paid much heed too._

_I too was there, standing by her side and looking straight and proper with no expression and a steely gaze as the loyal citizens cheered and threw flowers, streamer and balloons high up into the air in celebration for something important which even I couldn't remember although it was probably yet another law._

_"What is this?" asked Luna and I chuckled and replied "This is what Equestria has had for hundreds of years Princess, your sister rules fairly and the land prospers with rich farms and industrious factories" I said spreading my fore hooves towards the adoring masses although internally knowing that I was lying ever so slightly since poverty still very much existed._

_"This…this is incredible, in all the time I ruled with my sister we never received even one rose but now if this is what Celestia sees most days then I cannot understand why anypony wouldn't want to live in Equestria!" she exclaimed as she peered over the balcony._

_She looked through the crowds and then at her sister who was smiling her classic warm and welcoming smile and waving her hoof gracefully as a Princess should. However her eyes looked over the crowds and not at Luna and I could tell that it was upsetting Luna being so close yet so far to her sister so I asked "Maybe we should…" but I was interrupted as suddenly a guard ran up to my other self and saluted before saying "Urgent message for the Princess about Cloudsdale Weather System". _

_I knew that voice all too well and looked as the young guard pushed his helmet up from where it had begun to droop down and seethed in anger when I saw the face. "Shining Armour" I said with venom, unable to retain my hatred for this pony. Luna looked across at me and asked "Oh do you know this guard"?_

_I tried not to scowl when I looked at her and watched instead as my dream self-walked up to the kid and told him to get lost however Celestia had already come over and asked "Oh was it the very important message from Cloudsdale I have been waiting for"? _

_I scowled and watched as she left with Shining Armour and I was made to remain on the balcony with a bunch of second-rate royals whilst getting streamers thrown at my face. "That was the real beginning of my decline, generally things began to get worse for me as he always solved a problem I couldn't or was there when I wasn't and slowly I watched as he climbed the ranks till finally I had to watch as my title was ripped from me and given to him on a silver platter" I spat and Luna sensing the animosity towards Shining in my voice decided it best to not comment on this._

_I calmed down slightly and asked "Princess what are Soarin and Pick dreaming about"? She smiled and then tension developing melted and she said "Well Soarin is dreaming of pie and Pick is dreaming of a gold plated castle in Dodge City so I decided to stop by all of you" she giggled and I asked in wonder "you can visit us all at the same time"? She nodded and explained "Yes it's been a while but holding multiple conversations was what I would do all night once although the dreams of ponies back then were of demons and timber wolves and not whether the pie was going to make you explode or the golden house cost too much on tax"._

_"Well it was interesting talking to you…oh and when do I wake up because I'm starting to get really annoyed by the call of the crowds?" I asked and she giggled and suddenly I was awake._

"What the hay?" I immediately asked myself as I sat up and looked around the small camp we'd set up. Luna had been keeping watch by a dying fire and Soarin and Pick had been sleeping up against a tree whilst I'd chosen a piece of grass.

"Good sleep?" asked Luna smiling and Soarin stretched and said "Yeah, thanks for stopping me or else I would have probably exploded" said Soarin and I couldn't suppress a smile which only widened when Pick asked "So you're sure the tax collectors aren't real because I really don't want them to repossess my gold-plated armchair" said Pick worried.

"Ok maybe we should all come back to the present and tell you about the plan" I said cutting the chat and getting down to business. "What plan, I thought you had contacts or something in Canterlot, you were mentioning it before we got interrupted…" said Soarin and I explained "Yes, but I was talking about somepony else who might have sent a few hundred thieves and murderers after us which might have caught you and tied you up a few days ago".

There was a brief silence which Pick broke by asking sarcastically "So does this mean the plan is to put us through a meat grinder"? "No it means that we'll need to hand Luna over to a strange mare in Manehatten I might not be able to find and then possibly all get killed in the process but if not then we will somehow use the possible power which Luna might be able to exert over her to get help from contacts in Canterlot which will then steal any relevant documents on the Magical Source and where it was moved to and drop a note of the Changeling threat" I said plainly enough.

It must have looked like I was speaking some foreign language to Pick but Luna and Soarin understood this to some degree and Soarin asked "But how will we get to Canterlot"? "Knew I'd forget something" I thought to myself and mentally smacked myself. "Well since umm… the train stations will probably be under guard with the help of the militia or new Night Guard or whatever it might be then I suggest that we head through these swamps, north-east of here about a day and a half steady walk is Baltimare and one of the largest harbours in Equestria called Horseshoe Bay" I said.

"Wait a moment, your planning on catching a ship to Manehatten aren't you?" asked Pick who was probably the last pony to get what we were doing. "Yes well done Pick have a gold star" I mumbled sarcastically. "Well if we're going to reach Baltimare in a day and a half then we'd best get started" said Luna and although everyone but Pick agreed with her I had a slight itch at the back of my neck which was annoying.

However I brushed it off and thought nothing more of it as we began the fair distance through the rough and sometimes perilous swamp lands. "You know I think that this swamp is probably the smelliest place I've ever smelled" shared Pick but to me I couldn't smell a thing since I still smelled of dried blood and the strange smell of Changeling blood. "When we get to Baltimare the two things I plan to do is to conceal us aboard a ship and take a really long bath if we don't have to run for our lives" I said as my mane (which was pretty much green from changeling blood) whipped into my eyes.

So we traversed on through the disgusting and pretty much lifeless swamps with very few things happening apart from Pick rattling on about some famous band he'd heard when he was in Dodge called DJ Pon-3 or something and did a lot of that head pounding music which I'd never been able to actually get into.

Soarin was also a fan of the music most unfortunately for Luna and I's poor ears as for the next two hours they began to Beat box and occasionally mime a turntable for Vinyl records and do some power slide which ended up with Pick getting stuck in a fallen tree trunk on the ground.

"What is it with you ponies and this musician; surely her music cannot be as good as the Royal Canterlot Orchestra" she stated as if everypony still listened to classical music. "Please Princess nopony listens to that fancy music anymore I mean without DJ Pon-3 there is no music industry, surely even the Captain listens to music" said Pick pointing a hoof at me.

"Well despite the fact I once heard the song playing on a nearby phonogram the only records I listen too are A Band of Horses" I said as I remembered their cheery number "The Funeral" which I had playing in the Royal Guard Canteen every single day whenever it was lunch. "Oh yeah I think my grandpa used to listen to that stuff" said Pick which did little but infuriate me.

"Pick why don't you and Soarin shut up for the duration of the journey or speak about tactics to use in a fight since right now all it's been is Soarin throwing his knives and ending up in close combat which means he's grappling with another pony for hours before he's able to beat him meanwhile you cower on behind Luna as she barely manages to take down all her enemies before they reach her" I said harshly but truly.

Their faces burned slightly as they recalled their flaws in battle and Pick suggested to Soarin "I suppose if I stay close to you and when you get in close combat I could help you out". "What if there is some other pony that attacks you?" asked Soarin and this made Pick go blank.

"I guess" he began to say but Luna instantly threw herself face down and whispered loudly "Get down"! We all immediately were on the stinking and muddy floor and at first I thought it was something Luna had seen and looked around but suddenly I heard it. There was a slight whooshing sound which was audibly increasing by the second until it exploded threw a cloud above us and flew onwards, leaving a trail of the cloud like smoke behind it.

"What in the name of Celestia was that?" I asked quietly and Soarin crawled over from his position on the ground and told us "It's a Wonderbolt, by the looks of what I saw it was Rapidfire". I was first of all amazed by how keen Soarin's sight was but then I was angry since if they were combing along this area then that would mean chance of detection and most likely that slime of the Night Guard Thorn was probably not far behind us.

"Ok speak later we need to move now" I said and we all began to pick up our pace, Pick asking "So how many of them Wonderbolt's did you say there was"? "About eighty, although only about ten of us actually go to all these shows and concerts and other things to do tricks whilst the other seventy keep an eye on Equestria's skies for griffons illegally entering the land and in case a freak storm appears from overseas" he said which surprised me since generally my depiction had been that all they did was fly around with colourful smoke and eat cake with the elite.

"It seems that your Corp is quite an important part in society" said Luna and Soarin agreed saying "Yes it is, Pegasi from all over admire us and want to become one of us, we're portrayed in a bright light of glory and fame but sadly the only thing I do apart from occasionally doing some stunts and eating pie with some snobs is signing lots of paperwork and rueing the day I ever signed off to have myself made into an action figure" he sighed.

"Wait you're an action figure?" asked Pick and Soarin nodded but sheepishly smiled "Yea but only a back round one really, everypony buys the Spitfire one and if there is a sale then also me or Surprise as well although that still doesn't stop me getting fan mail, particularly from the Ponyville area which I find strange since although it's close to Cloudsdale it inputs more letters which all come from the same crazy fan every time" he said with a frown.

"Well that's spectacular, maybe by the end of this we can all become action figures which our crazy fans will buy to put on shelves and then admire and comb our hair and then microwave when they get bored" I said annoyed at our slowing pace.

Everpony looked at me and I asked "What didn't you all ever fry action figures when you were colts"? "What's an action figure?" asked Luna having no idea what in Equestria we were talking about. "Never mind I'll explain later, for now we have to pick up the pace and If I could I'd have us jogging but this marsh looks too bad and Pick would get left behind" I said increasing pace.

"Hay I resent that" said Pick but we all agreed that it was the truth and we'd probably be forced to leave Pick behind if we ran as it was visible that despite probably being more active than most ponies he was physically not the sharpest.

"You know sometimes brain counts for more than brawn" Pick remarked which although was a fair argument I simply replied "Yeah but your brain is made of squidgy pink flesh whilst your blade is made of steel and I can tell you that in a straight fight brain will lose". "Not if the brain of the one wielding blade is too small to understand how to use it" said Luna which was once more a good point.

"Yeah well next time we're in a fight let's put your theory to the test" I challenged and I could tell by Luna's face that it was gam on. On a practical level we knew we were just joking but on the other hand there was a slight competitive side to me that begged to show that there was nothing muscles couldn't do that brains could figure out.

Not wanting to alert a possible Wonderbolt which as Soarin had revealed had great vision and hearing and would be impossible for anypony but Soarin to catch and even then it would be difficult. So we remained in silence and trudged quietly through the swamps and saw the sun eventually set and the moon rise as normal.

We didn't risk fire once we stopped for the night since we'd be lit up like a barn on fire so we pretty much froze in the spooky swamps which had worryingly began to gather fog and suddenly come alive with eerie noises and suspicious rustling which I'm sure had us all awake.

Although I was absolutely exhausted and in desperate need of sleep I was too worried about our surroundings and about Baltimare to get some shut eye. I was unhappy that after the long journey we'd been on we had been rewarded with nothing but grief and still no power that could restore Luna and defeat Clearwater whom I'd never met.

Suddenly I heard a large rustle and stood up sharply. Pick who had been keeping watch also jolted up more in fear but I motioned for him to stay down and whispered "Stay here and keep your eyes peeled, I'm going to go check the surrounding to our camp". "Ok" he whispered back and once more lay down on his stomach and kept watch for anything.

I moved slowly, trying to stay silent and low with my sword clamped tightly between my teeth and an expression of steeliness on my face. I had gone about fifty metres and was about to head back since the camp was now vulnerable if I went out any further but something stopped me.

The rather annoying itch was developing into a rash and I scratched it hard and whilst doing so looked up at the trees to see something which truly freaked me out and had me once more questioning my sanity.

The same old pony with the same type of hat and cloak except now in a mottled green was sitting on a tall branch in the tree above my head with his stick hanging from a branch above along with his pack. "Oh hello there Captain, didn't see you passing by my way, then again it's a rather lovely night to be sitting in a tree" he said cheerfully.

I put my hooves over my eyes and told him and mainly myself "This isn't real, I am dreaming and at the end of this nightmare I will wake up and it will all be ok". I peeked and saw that Starswirl was unimpressed with my logic applied to this matter and he sighed and asked "You know if a gigantic observatory that could once see everypony and a magical source which can give ponies the power to blow up entire universes is believable, then why is it you can't believe in an old guy like me"?

"I can't believe because you are dead old man, that's why it isn't believable because you are dead. I read the reports and Luna confirmed that Clearwater killed you!" I argued quietly in case this wasn't a dream and Pick heard me and came to investigate me talking to a figment of my imagination.

"Oh I died then did I? Well death isn't really the end of the world is it?" he asked looking at me as if I should respond in some way to his little mind games. He sighed as if disappointed in my lack of speech and asked "You are a very angry pony are you not"?

I clenched my hooves tight and tried very hard to contain the foul language I wanted to spew at him. He chuckled slightly and said "I'll take that as a yes then" which infuriated me more since this was my imagination and I didn't like it very much.

"Well believe it or not old Starswirl the Bearded wasn't always bearded and as a young colt I was intrigued much by the battles of sword on sword usually between an Earth Ponies but one day I got a sword and began to practice it but with using my magic to levitate things.

"Now a few well trained unicorns can lift a pony high into the air and a select few know of spells which can blow holes in ponies or manipulate their sight to see friends where they see enemies and vice versa but back in my day magic was still pretty basic and levitation even hadn't been completely figured out" he explained to me without my knowing as to where this conversation was going.

"My father was a guard for the Royal Unicornian family and he wanted me his son to follow in his footsteps and he encouraged me to be angry all the time and drive me towards becoming a good guard" he said as his face suddenly changed from a smiley expression to a scowl.

"Well when I began to go beyond using my magic for practising how to wield a sword and begin to manipulate other things and found magic wasn't a weapon but as well as a tool a beautiful paintbrush which could do many wondrous thing. I forget about training and went to learn with some elite Unicorns who raised the moon and sun back then and my father got so enraged at my betrayal of the family tradition he went out and got extremely drunk, came back and killed my sister whilst she slept and burned my family's home" he said darkly yet with the same tone of voice.

The tone of his voice disturbed me and my eyes softened slightly as he went on and said "So upon the news reaching me I became enraged and once more took up the sword and travelled back from Canterlot which was the Unicornian Castle and after two weeks I arrive to see the drunkard, wife beater my father had become and the home my mother and he now lived in which was a shanty little joint once a farm now a storage room for empty liquor bottles.

"I confronted him when he was more sober and he drew on me and we proceeded to fight and despite his experience and my lack of my anger leant me such strength that I broke his sword in two and suddenly feeling rage build in my head my horn discharged a blast of deadly, evil energy which blew a hole through his chest and so creating the first destruction spell" he told me and then his tone sadly as he explained the last part to his tale.

"Although this was my father who had loved and raised me for years I had killed him so flamboyantly and still high in the murderous fire in my soul I reacted instinctively when I felt hooves on my back and spun round with the same sword and felt as blood splashed against my back and watched as my mother's headless body fell on top of me" he said heavily and although this was probably one of the saddest things I'd ever heard I still couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"So why tell me this, if you want pity then I'm truly sorry for what happened to a dead guy a thousand years ago"! I thought he would become angry but he simply smiled and asked "How close have you gotten during a battle to carrying on and killing Pick or maybe Luna? You can use your anger but use it wisely Backwater or else you will make the same mistake I made and kill a loved one and then the regret will be with you forever" he told me pointing at me.

"I've already killed a loved one, I have plenty of regret" I said angrily but shook his head and stated "That was different circumstances, the next time it will be of your own accord…by the way duck" he told me.

"What do you…" I began to ask but suddenly I felt and heard a large crack and my world became totally dark.


	17. Smell

**Smell**

I awoke to Pick shaking me quite roughly and if it hadn't been for the fact I was still tired and my sword was left by a tree I'd be gutting him already. "Where am I, was it real?" I asked sitting up quickly and looking at my surroundings.  
To my surprise I wasn't asleep fifty metres from our camp beneath a tree which Starswirl had lectured me but instead in the camp and in the same position I was in before the noise awoke me last night. This convinced me that I had been dreaming but since my imagination wasn't that good and it all felt too real I asked Pick "Did I get up last night and leave the camp"?

Pick looked questioningly at me and raised an eyebrow. "Not that I know of, if you recall it was Soarin on watch for the majority of last night and then it was me and I never saw you bat an eyelid so much as get up and go for a stroll" he said as he pulled his saddlebag tightly over his back.

My face must have been one of intensive thinking as Luna, Soarin and Pick were both looking at me with worried faces until eventually Luna asked "Are you alright there Captain"? In truth I was a little freaked but I hid it behind I steely guard face and replied "It is nothing; I simply wish to get to the outskirts of Baltimare soon".

"Well we won't be too long, we're about an hour away of we trot fast" said Pick happily and I nodded and quickly got our things together and left, me trying to put what I'd dreamt behind me despite the fact I was still arguing with myself whether or not it was actually reality.

We set off in high spirits and made our way quickly through the thinning swamps which materialised into light forests and then finally to everyone's great and tired joy Baltimare. Despite the city still being over a mile away I could clearly see that although the city was not as overwhelming as Manehatten or as elegant as Canterlot it still had that city appeal and looking further to the eastern edge of the city I saw many black dot of seagulls fly though the skies and the masts of the large ships in what must have been the docks.

"Wow, my first big city" said Pick in elation despite the fact that the city would probably have wanted posters and more than likely guards inside. "The same for me for it too is my first experience with this city and oh how amazing it is" she said with her eyes glazed over in amazement as she stared with architectural joy at the high rises and the general size.

Always being the one to burst the bubble I sternly told everyone "Ok, we need to get into the city and since it is probably full of wanted posters, villains on the lookout and maybe even Royal Guards then we need disguises or some other way of concealment into the city".

Suddenly without much warning Soarin seemed to shake a little me for collapsing without giving any warning on top of Pick who yelped as his face went head first into the forest floor. "What gives" he said through mouthful of dirt which he spat out before pushing Soarin off of him.

"Is he breathing?" asked Luna and I checked and saw that everything was fine. "He seems to have… fainted or something" I said but as soon as the word left my lips he gasped and shot up like… well a Wonderbolt. He panted and breathed deeply as he looked to and fro and Luna asked "What happened, was it a vision"?

Soarin nodded his head and then groaned and put his hooves on his head as he probably developed a seriously annoying headache. Despite Pick and Luna's worry over Soarin I pushed ahead and asked "What did you see"? Soarin was shutting and opening his eyes multiply to try and see straight but eventually he gave up and began what he had seen in his vision.

"It was Baltimare but it was over three hundred years ago and the ponies all were dressed in strange clothing neither medieval or modern but with weird hats and many had moustaches and some carried lutes and other materials to and fro as they built the city before my eyes" he said and Luna nodded and explained "The Observatory was a powerful tool which I had accidently created after casting a misspell on a powerful telescope I had intended only to view the stars with, if he saw the creation of this city over three hundred years I'm surprised his head hasn't exploded yet".

"What!" exclaimed Soarin hearing that last part but Luna sheepishly calmed him saying "It was only a jest Soarin (which I assumed meant joke)" and so he calmed down a little. However he still looked overwhelmed as he explained "Over the history of the city they installed a sewer over two hundred years which due to the plague sweeping through and killing off everypony was barely used and in time forgotten when ponies from other lands showed up and populated the city, instead installing a fresh sewage system slightly above the ancient one still in use today".

We all saw what he was getting at and although climbing through a sewer wasn't what I wanted to do I had no objections. Pick on the other hand was less than compliant and complained "Darn it Soarin, you couldn't perhaps of envisioned and ancient teleportation device from which we could teleport in could you"!?

Luna looked less than thrilled also but nodded and said "If Soarin knows how to get us above the old sewage tunnel then I can blast a way through the roof and into the newer one" she said and I agreed and asked Soarin "Do you know a way into the old sewer tunnel"?

That's where he looked up and quickly replied "Oh that's the most important part I had to tell you because we're right on top of it you see". "What do you…" I began to ask but then suddenly the ground rumbled and the forest floor where Pick had fallen began to open up and suddenly we all were falling into a dark abyss and typically all crying out as we went.

However our fall of doom was abruptly cut as we all landed in the middle of the long, dark and twisting sewage tunnels with a splash. Instantly I saw nothing but black and slightly green water in my vision which stung my eyes and after making for the surface I pulled myself onto the side of the sewer.

I could thankfully hear the others gag, cough and splutter as they discharged sewage water from their mouths which I had thankfully kept shut upon coming into contact with the foul smelling stuff. "Damn it Soarin, you could have told us about the entrance first" shouted Pick as he whipped his now filthy mane out of his eyes.

"Yeah well I was struggling coming to grips with three hundred years of history so excuse me for letting it slip my mind!" he yelled back as he went into a coughing fit. "Let me get us more light" said Luna since we could only faintly make each other from the light of the collapsed ceiling which we'd thought to be forest floor moments ago.

The tunnels lit up with intense and strong dark blue light and now that I could properly see where we were I was less than impressed. Since I had seen ancient observatories of legend and ruins of a past age I guess I was expecting ancient sophistication to what was really a large tunnel of dirt supported by wooden beams and more mud.

"Wow we all look absolutely vile" remarked Pick whose coat along with the others and mine was thick with muck and sludge. My mane probably looked worse since there was still the dried blood mixed in there and judging by the smell of the sewers by the time we reached the surface we'd probably stand out a mile.

"We'll find a way to wash later but right now we need to move" I said as Luna's light flickered as she coughed and almost threw up. I went over and patted her on the back and asked "Luna are you alright to proceed"? She didn't want to speak so instead just nodded and I suggested to us all "Try breathing through your others and the stench will lessen".

They nodded and began to breathe through their mouths which only made it slightly better. Brushing as much medieval waste cling to me as I could I asked Soarin "Ok now where do we go"? He looked blank and shrugged saying "I don't know, I've forgotten half the stuff I already saw".

I couldn't believe what he was saying and made to ask how in Celestia he could forget something he'd seen two minutes ago but Luna put a hoof on my chest and explained "If he remembered everything after a prediction his brain really would explode".

I decided it best I ask how his brain visions worked later and instead looked down either side of the tunnels and said "Baltimare is North-East which means we need to head in this direction "I said pointing to the others who looked down the tunnel and nodded. "Since the tunnels may wind or be collapsed in some places this might take a few hours so get used to the smell, stay on the walkways and ignore the rapidly drying waste in your coats cause I want to get out of here as fast as possible which means no whining from you Pick" I said pointing at him who pretended to be shocked at the accusation that he would complain about something!

"OK let's go then" I said heading off at a steady walk as the others followed me; Luna's light guiding the way. The only sounds in the tunnel for the next two hours would be the faint trickle and drips of sewage water as we made our way through (literally) the bowels of Baltimare to hopefully the docks or even better a soap shop.

The tunnel was small in places and grand in others, broken and caved in on multiple occasions and in some places so foul that we wretched and Pick and Luna threw up whilst me and Soarin simply turned green and tried to not look as they vomited the simple food we'd been consuming over the past few weeks.

"Damn it how far is it until we reach anywhere near where we need to be?" asked Pick wiping his mouth. I wasn't sure since I had no true idea where we were going and simply gauged the distanced we'd been walking with the distance to the docks on the surface levels.

"Here is as good a place as any to see if the newer and hopefully more pleasantly smelling sewer is" I said gasping and pointing up at the ceiling. Luna immediately pointed her horn to the ceiling but instead of blowing a hole threw it like I thought she would she simply furrowed her brow and concentrated before saying "This part has a lot of earth packed above it but about 20 metres in that direction there's a thin bit of tunnel from the newer sewer I can blow through".

I nodded and we all made our way to where she indicated eager to get out of this stinking hell we wouldn't wish our worst enemy into. Luna once more pointed her horn to the ceiling and shouted "Stand back!" before blasting a fairly large beam at the roof of the tunnel and bringing it down with a large crash and a flood of the above sewer water.

The difference was immediate as the smell decreased significantly and Pick was knocked on the head by a large chunk of rock, falling into the hooves of Soarin who was luckily there to catch him. The flood of water reduced to trickle but presented another problem which I addressed asking "How do we get to the above sewer, there is nothing to climb"?

Soarin laughed and stated the obvious "You know I might just be able to fly us up one at a time since I am a Pegasus"! "Yeah…right" I said trying not to turn red and failing. Despite the smell and how tired we were Luna couldn't help but giggle a little.

So Soarin flew the unconscious Pick up (which helped since he couldn't complain or worm out of it) and then Luna up and finally me. "Put your hooves around my neck and hold on tight" he told me and I nodded, not wanting to fall thirty feet from the above sewer into the toxic waste of the old sewer.

Although the flight was short I envied once more the ability that Soarin and other Pegasus had and asked "why in Equestria I was born an Earth Pony"? Our four second flight ended with him dumping me on my rump on the new sewer pathway and to our great relief a ladder to the surface.

"Well at least we can get out of here earlier than expected" I said thankful for the luck we had at last had and deserved. Soarin slapped Pick awake as me and Luna began to cautiously ascend the ladder since for all we knew we could be in middle of some kind of guard station without knowing it.

"Ok Luna" I said upon reaching the opening to the non-smelling real world "If there is some kind of trouble when I open this then scurry back down and if I get pulled through then run along the tunnel and come up another way" I said to which she responded "Just open the blasted thing already Captain before I choke"!

I nodded and without further ado I shoved against the metal grill and into the oh so sweet smelling world of clean air. However as I scrambled unbalanced up the ladder I was cautious and drew my sword in case we were in the street or in the path of some enemies.

I looked about and saw that we were literally on the edge of the docks with some large crates and containers stacked behind us. Either side were more crates and so I relaxed and turned to help Luna up and out of the blasted sewers followed by Pick and Soarin who also were relieved and took in deep breaths of the sea air which made their eyes water a bit.

For an entire five minutes we just rested against the crates and took in the fresh sea air in thankfulness that we would hopefully never need to go back into those cursed sewers. However that didn't take care of the fact that we still looked and stank like a toilet which would give us away before anypony saw us coming.

I asked what we should do and Soarin suggested "We could all jump into the sea but it would be difficult for me to fly us out since it's looking a bit choppy today". "I have a better idea, but we might be detected and it will completely drain me of all energy" said Luna to which I said "No, you aren't going to risk anything over us Luna we'll just lower ourselves in one by one".

Luna furrowed her brow and stated "You know I also stink like a sewer Captain and I would also be risking myself, in fact I will do it" she said turning her head away and charging her horn with bright blue magic which flashed and then suddenly caused dark but rather small rain clouds appear above our heads.

With a twist of her head suddenly and quite unexpectedly the clouds erupted in a downpour of rain which actually hurt a little as it washed the muck out of our coats and manes. However after the initial surprise we began to scrub away any more dirt and grime which had stuck.

The rain reduced to a slight patter and Luna panted as the clouds disappeared and leaned against the cargo crates for support. I went to steady her as did Soarin and I asked "Princess are you alright"? "I'm fine Captain just…just give me a minute" she lied as she sat down against the crates.

I was angry that Luna would waste such energy to just clean us and yelled "That was really stupid, what if we are attacked and you have absolutely no strength to defend yourself"! Luna steadily got to her hooves and brushed Soarin away and yelled "I'm not some little filly Captain, I am you're Princess and a thousand years older than you and although it might have strained me I knew I could handle it so back off"!

Her outburst certainly surprised me but then I did remember that despite her looks and her sometimes ignorance to the world she was still my Princess and so I grudgingly apologised and suggested "Well since we're safely surrounded by all these cargo crates I suggest that one of us takes a look at the docks and then report back here".

"Well Luna and the Captain can't go and I'm a Wonderbolt and liable to get recognised so…" said Soarin looking towards Pick who held up a hoof and stepped back saying "You can't be serious, just because I'm good at breaking into places and stealing doesn't mean that I'm some kind of spy".

Despite trying to convince himself otherwise that he wasn't the best pony fitted for the job he eventually gave in under our stares and asked "Fine, what do I need to see or scout out or whatever"? "Well right now we just want to see which part of the docks we're in and whether or not we can make our way to some boat for here, in total it should take you five minutes and you're only going a few metres to the other side of these crates so we'll here you scream if there's trouble" I said, trying to reassure him with a little humour which by the look on his face he didn't think was funny.

"Fine, can somepony give me a hoof-up and we'll get this over with" he said flatly and Soarin moved to help him up on top of some lower stacked crates. He then pulled himself up and over onto the dockside. There was a faint noise of seagulls and cranes operating in the distance but other than that there was no sound to be heard and four a few minutes we had to stand there and keep an ear out in case the entire guard suddenly returned with Pick.

"We're in trouble!" said Pick and we all spun round with our hands on our weapons as he dropped back into the small space surrounded by crates from the other side of which he'd left. Getting over our worry and tenseness, we all looked at him with the same question in our eyes… "What was on the other side"?

"Well we sure can pick times, I couldn't see the city but I saw the banners and a patrol of Royal Guards and those ponies called the militia dressed in red and it turns out that Princess Celestia will be here tomorrow to launch the first ever steam ship to be launched and due to security issues security has been quadrupled and extra reserve militia have been called up" he said with a pause for breath.

"But how could you learn all this from a small vault over a wall of crates?" I asked confusedly. "They have notices plastered on every crate, every container, ship and more than likely all over the city detailing what's happening and other posters with our faces on them" he said.

I was troubled by this news but did well to hide it and Luna asked "You were expecting some form of force here anyway, is there still a way to get aboard a ship for Manehatten"? Since we were all being honest and Luna had given me her little speech about her not being a little filly, I decided it best that I be straight with her and said "From what Pick has seen this means we won't be able to move five paces forward without swords to our throats and crossbows at our back. Royal Guards, Militia and probably some of those thugs we've encountered before will be all over the city and by that I mean at the gates, train stations, guarding the ships and generally sweeping the area in preparation for Celestia's arrival. When is it Pick?" I asked hoping for some time. "She arrives tomorrow and by afternoon she'll be smashing some of that fancy wine stuff against the hull of that boat" said Pick.

"Fancy wine is called Champagne Pick" corrected Soarin and I yelled at them both "We don't have time for petty banter and foal play, if the security is this bad then it's only a matter of time before they patrol this section of the docks and although we can take maybe thirty with a few cuts and bruises, when we're surrounded by about a hundred well trained guards, not bandits or monsters who've been stuck in a cave"!

"There must be a way to the docks Captain, some kind of disguise or maybe a secret passage that we can utilise"? "Unless I have a map I have no way of knowing Luna, don't you have magic with illusions that you can use to make us look different?" I asked but she shook he head and explained "It would be too hard to disguise us all for a prolonged amount of time like that".

We were in a bit of a pickle was the nice way to put it but an idea suddenly came to me and I asked "How long would it take to maintain the spell on yourself"? "About two hours but by then I'd be exhausted, did you have something in mind"?

I knew it would be risky but I had to do something so I said "Ok this is what you need to do…"


	18. Downtown Baltimare

**Downtown Baltimare**

"She should have been back ten minutes ago, I don't like this" I said finally standing up from the ground and beginning to pace while Pick and Soarin watched me. "Captain you have to stop worrying so much about Luna, she can look after herself and she is resourceful, Pick told me she saved you by hailing a train and bringing you into Dodge after being fatally poisoned by some scorpion" said Soarin but despite knowing all he said was true I was still worried for Luna's safety and should have suggested some other way into the city.

"Perhaps we could have gone back through the tunnels and found our way into the more central part of the city" I suggested but Pick shook his head to and fro and said "No way am I going back in those tunnels even if Celestia threatens to send me to the deepest and darkest dungeon in Equestria, at least it would smell better".

Although I agreed with him I couldn't deny that I was worried that the city would overwhelm Luna with all its social interactions and business ponies that went by at a non-stop, tight schedule pace to get to their destination in their busy lives.

"The plan to send Luna to get dye was not only a good plan but the only one at the time and since Luna would need all her energy she was the only one that could do it and you weren't so bothered at the time" said Soarin but I argued back "I know but it was different then and I was still angry at her from using that spell to clean us which weakened her already".

"Hey I'm not complaining it's amazing what torrential rain concentrated over a small area can do to clean" he said shaking his mane and glad not to be filthy. "Yeah I don't know how you could stand it Captain, being covered in blood since the Bad Lands and not being able to wash" said Soarin and although I was disgusted I responded "I had more important things to worry about like whether a Wonderbolt or a Changeling was going to come bursting out of nowhere".

"I can see you've all been very productive whilst I was going on my little stroll" said an unfamiliar mare's voice. We looked up at the wall of crates to see a typical common pony with a red coat and yellow mane and book for a cutie mark drop down and dust herself off slightly.

She looked like the most common pony ever and no pony would have suspected her of anything. However all this changed when slowly like water her image flashed bright blue and a scarred, white coated and blonde mane of Clearwater or to me what I had always seen as Luna.

Her Cutie Mark of the moon too was there but not for long if this plan of mine could work. "Was there any trouble on your way? Were you followed?" I asked her but she shook her head to both my questions and responded "No trouble and no pony followed me, however I am both amazed once more but also worried about this marvellous city" she said with worry quite evident in her voice.

"Why?" I simply asked and she went on to say "Well apart from the hundreds of posters and banners with the event tomorrow and our faces all over the city's buildings there is also a huge military presence here, similar to the armies back in my day but they look wrong in this place and the ponies of Baltimare look nervous about the guard and the astounding number of militia about the place" she said and I told everypony "We can worry about such things when Clearwater is dead but for now we need to see how the stuff you were able to buy works".

Luna nodded and we all gathered round as she emptied the sole saddle bag once full of bits we'd given her for the small mission out and revealed bottles of every colour and size. "Amazing, I thought dye was used only for clothes but once more this new world has astounded me" remarked Luna as we all peered at the bottles of dye.

"Yeah…well we need to figure out how to use this stuff fast so that we can formulate a plan to get aboard a vessel bound for Manehatten" I said picking up a bottle to study the back of. "What does thou mean figure out? Have you not used this dying technique before?" she asked and we all kind of kicked our hooves too and fro and Soarin said "Generally Stallions don't dye their coats and manes different colours, not even I dye my hair to look natural" he said and looked to me asking "Captain don't the guard dye their manes and coats to look identical"?

"Yeah I knew a few that did that but I was born with the natural body and mane of a guard so I've never used this stuff either" I said and Pick just sighed in frustration and said "Oh give me a bottle, it can't be that hard to die yer coat a different colour you just have to put it on and rub it in" he said snatching the bottle whilst I held out a hoof to stop him from dumping the whole thing on.

**10 minutes later…**

"Pick I think the new look suits you" said Soarin through a grin whilst Luna tried not to giggle and I simply looked on depressed as Pick felt around the fresh bald patch on his head where he'd put all the dye on at once. Unfortunately he only picked up the bottle after which read:

**Warning!**

**Use of Dye without water may lead to rashes, burns and fur and hair loss. We take no responsibility for anypony who does not follow these rules.**

Looking back I kind of knew that Pick had meant well but I was curious to see now if we put him in a room with poison labelled water if he'd drink barrels of it or have the sense to smell the stuff first. Pick was pissed to a level way above that of the time he'd been shoved on a train and forced to leave his hometown with a couple of crazy ponies.

Pulling up his hoodie he shouted "Shut up, I was just trying to be direct and now this will take months to fix" he said but Luna shook her head and said "Hold still" before her horn lit up and suddenly Pick's hoodie was thrown back and his mane grew back slightly, although he now looked a bit ragged.

He gasped and felt his head and smiled in glee before looking back at Luna and accusing "You're saying you could have done that for ten minutes and you left me to have a heart attack"! "It is a joke" she said grinning to the chuckles of me and Soarin and the sulks of Pick.

"Well Luna, I know you've used a lot of magic today but can you somehow summon a lesser rain cloud and direct It over heads and we'll just try to do this properly with water" I said looking at Pick who avoided my gaze with an embarrassed look on his face.

So Luna summoned a lesser rain cloud and we all took off our saddle bags, weapons, armour and clothes and began the strange process of dying our manes. "I'd heard that there was some dye which acted like washable paint which you could easily remove but this dye seemed a little more simplistic yet difficult for us all to do since Luna had no idea about dye and equally with Soarin, Pick and I.

I saw that I'd chosen black and grey dye for my coat and an electric white for my hair which funnily resembled that of the other normal look for the guard. I grabbed the bottles and applied a little to my hooves and carefully rubbed some into my chest. The rain seemed to dilute it and I spread it around with my hooves and thankfully did develop any bald patches on my coat so continued to slowly dye my hair along with the others.

It took forty minutes but by the end I looked up at us all to see quite a different sight of the ponies I was used to. Soarin's dark blue mane and pale coat was now a bright red with a blonde mane whilst Pick was now green with an orange mane and finally Luna had dye her coat blue and her mane a lighter shade of blue than her coat's.

We looked at each other for a few moments before small grins spread across our faces and we congratulated ourselves on turning into completely different ponies. I didn't smile so much but I was none the less happy and said "We need to conceal our weapons here for the time being and our clothes which look too suspicious, take the saddlebag without the moon insignia on it Pick and put all the bits we have in it, we need to get some regular looking clothes" I said and Luna asked "Does this mean we need to go shopping"?

Despite the fact she had no shops or stores in her time and being royalty probably got made whatever she wanted there was a girly bubble in their which was easily detectable and I sighed and said "Yes". I was positive that she almost went Squee had it not been for the composure she regained a second before.

"Ok let's do this, over the wall we go" I said as I leapt on top and pulled Luna and then Pick up whilst Soarin flew over and landed next to us. "We good to go" he asked and checking we were all good I realised our cutie marks were visible and would have cursed had I just noticed that the posters mentioned nothing about them.

"Yeah we're good, let's move out" I said as we strode forward from the docks, keeping relatively silent since we didn't really want to be seen by anypony hanging around the docks. We made it through the dock entrance which Luna showed us to and ducked below some crates being moved inside until we got through the gates.

After getting out and into the streets which were overlooked by the not so large apartment blocks built next to the docks to accommodate the dock workers and sailors most likely. I saw that the ponies moving in and out of the city were indeed tense and more so when a patrol of the militia dressed in their red coats came round the corners and immediately asked ponies questions.

"We need to be careful of these patrols, we may have changed colour but if they study us carefully they'll notice our faces and some may have been informed of our cutie marks" I whispered as we began to push into a heavier crowd.

"I know I was given a funny look when I was walking around the city by a guard but luckily somepony asked if I needed directions and showed me to a salon" said Luna. "I remember flying above the tallest building and waving to the crowds from above, some building which deals with all the administration for the shipment of supplies and goods throughout Equestria" said Soarin as he looked to the tallest high-rise.

"How is it possible to create such a tall stone structure" asked Luna and I answered "A lot of Labour and mathematical stuff". "You know I might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed but I'm pretty sure mathematical stuff isn't the proper word" Pick pointed out to me to which I sighed and prepared to berate him with how I didn't care and wasn't a mathematician.

However before I could do anything a small colt and his friends seemed to come out of nowhere and point at Soarin and yell "See guys he looks just like the Wonderbolt in my poster"! The other fillies and colts screamed and pushed past us all to crowd around Soarin who was in the process of half smiling half scowling as the kids fussed over him.

"I knew I should have covered our cutie marks somehow" I thought to myself as a million questions were flung at Soarin like "Are you a Wonderbolt? Can I have your autograph? Can I smell you're mane"? I was panicking as a nearby patrol which was questioning an elderly old mare took notice and began to murmur to themselves.

"Soarin… I mean Sprinkles" I said making up an alternate name for Soarin before the fillies and colts realised my mistake "We really need to be going and getting some proper clothes for that wedding of yours" I made up to which all the fillies cried "A wedding!" and more questions were launched at Soarin who was now trying to stop a filly from clipping a feather off of his wings.

Suddenly a red Pegasus colt with a dark stripe down his mane shouted "Leave the pony alone, it's not him"! All the others instantly stepped back and went silent as this much taller and older colt stepped forward and apologised "Sorry to bother you mister but my siblings can get a little overexcited when they see somepony who may be famous".

I looked at the group of fillies and colts and exclaimed "They're all you're siblings"? He shook his head and explained "Not connected by parents, we're all orphans at the local orphanage but since no pony wants to adopt in a town mostly full of sailors, we kind of consider ourselves to be family and look after each other".

"So you're the big brother of the group I'm guessing" I said smiling and he nodded and asked "I heard mention of a wedding for your friend, If you're knew to town then maybe you'd like us to show you around?" he offered.

Although I was sceptical about letting a bunch of fillies and colts show us around the city, this one was quite mature and the patrol had stopped interviewing the mare and were now striding across the street towards us. "Ok sure kid, just lead the way" I said quickly and they all seemed to exploded with happiness, pushing us along the street and in Soarin's case carrying him.

"You children seem to be very energetic" remarked Luna and a filly replied "We're like this with everypony we meet" and I couldn't help but smile along with Luna. "See it's not all that bad" I said and she had to only agree with a nod of her head.

They seemed to direct us In a strange up and down motion, crossing streets and double backing until we were in a grubby street with run-down looking apartments that smelled of cheap Gin and vomit. "Are you sure there's a clothing shop down this way?" I asked and the mature colt responded "Oh yes, just in this alleyway right here" before we turned the corner and were practically pushed into the dark alleyway which I knew almost immediately was going to be a trap.

Suddenly we were boxed in by six ponies of similar stocky builds with brainless looks on their faces and all with the colour pattern of brown with black manes cut very short. They were dressed in old and worn brown jackets and two of them carried old and rusted pipes for what I assumed was weapons unless these ponies were in fact tailors.

"Nice work Billy, here's advancement" said the bulkiest one and obviously the leader who threw a small bag of bits at Billy who grinned along with the other children who now looked very evil and said evilly "Nice one we'll be back by lunch with another, enjoy the wedding Sprinkles"!

The children ran off laughing and we were now surrounded by six Earth Pony thugs without any weapons or plans to combat them. Diplomacy seemed to be the option we'd have to take here so I chose to negotiate and said "Please just take what's in the saddlebag and leave us alone we won't tell no pony".

"Well Mr that does seem like a pretty good deal and one we would have gone with before" said one behind me. "But we're afraid that since a militia is now enforce across Equestria we have to make doubly sure that no pony talks". "By beating them until they swear they won't tell anypony" said another as they moves in all at once.

"Look gentle colts, please can you just let the lady go?" I pleaded as I pretended to stumble and hit the ground in fear. "Look here Mr, perhaps where you come from ponies will do that but here I believe in all ponies being treated the same" he said laughing with his colleagues and bringing the pipe up to strike my back.

I rose from the ground like a striking snake and stabbed the shard of glass I'd picked up from the floor where I'd stumbled right into the side of his neck. He gasped in shock as blood sprayed from his neck but I didn't stop and grabbed the pipe he'd been about to use and with all my force I brought it down on his buddy next to him. There was a loud thunk and he went down unconscious and at the same time Pick and Soarin acted bot together, Pick hitting one of them squarely in the stomach whilst Soarin went up and deliver the knockout blow with his wings.

Luna was pretty low on magic but had enough to levitate the other pipe from the hooves of the other thug and buck him in the chest. Next she wielded the pipe on the pony behind her who was able to grab it and wrestle it free from her hooves.

He was about to strike her and I was too far away so I quickly gauged the distances and flung the pipe in my hooves just like a javelin. The pipe spiralled through the air just above Luna's head and went through the neck of the pony who'd been about to strike her.

His blood splattered her face and she stumbled back in shock as he clawed at his throat and half gurgled half screamed for help. The other two who'd been standing next to us looked at their two dead and two unconscious buddies and did the sensible thing and run.

It ended up with us standing in a pile of bodies with blood on our faces along with grim expressions. "Damn it all I thought that those kids were too cute to be real!" yelled Pick dusting himself off. I was actually surprised that he had handled himself so well and asked "Where did you learn how to deliver a punch like that"? He looked proud and said "Soarin taught me a few Wonderbolt moves".

Although Wonderbolt fighting techniques were in my opinion lightweight I was pleased to see that in a battle situation he hadn't gone off and cowered in the corner like all the other times. "Can we please praise each other's fighting techniques later and focus on our current predicament" said Luna frustrated that we'd been led into yet another trap.

"Look we need to cover these bodies up and get out of here, those other two don't have the integrity to not tell the guard what they were doing if it means our arrest" I said quickly brushing down the nearest thug who I'd killed and finding quite a hefty purse in his ragged jacket.

The others looked at me and I sighed and said "It isn't looting if it wasn't theirs and they won't need it anymore anyway. Although Luna didn't like it she didn't protest as we rifled through the pockets and saddlebags of our muggers without shame… at least on my part.

Now considerably richer and completely lost in the city I decided that we should head in whichever way looked better than the other streets and so led the way north. "I still can't believe such sweet children would do such an evil act" muttered Luna and I didn't respond, I didn't have any way to respond to her. Equestria wasn't making a very good impression right now and although I knew it could be better right now I too was pissed off with it so I kept my silence as we passed by the odd poor pony and eventually made it to a much safer and quieter area which thankfully had shops in it.

"Ok There is a clothes shop over there for dresses, a clothing store for generic clothing and a it looks like that fancy place at the end of the street sells suits" I said as I gave everypony enough bits to buy an entire wardrobe and said "Buy something that will cove you're cutie marks and don't cause trouble" and with that we all disembarked in separate directions. Soarin and Pick went over to the clothing store whilst Luna went into the dress shop. I walked into the suit place but it also seemed to sell other things beside that like antiques.

"Good day sir, do you need help with anything?" asked a rather stuck-up assistant tailor and I nodded and instead of going through the tediousness of actually trying the suit on dumped a bag of bits on the table and said "Show me you're finest suit".

There was about fifteen minutes of him trying to get me to buy some antiques or asking if I wanted something else but eventually I strode out of the changing rooms with a three-piece suit and a black hat like the one I'd previously owned.

In truth I wasn't used to such expensive things since the little money I'd earned went towards booze but I felt slightly better having something on me that could help me blend in. I was glad the suit jacket had tails at the back to hide my Cutie mark and although I was sure it would clash with a saddlebag I was confident that this would make me almost undetectable near guards.

I was about to head out but then the front bell rang and suddenly two militia ponies walked in with one calling Crafty you in here, me and Files are here for this month's share of the profit and no cutting out the bits like last time cause we can check with your boss.

I realized these two militia ponies hadn't notice me yet and so I ducked behind an antique giant vase as they continued their conversation. "So did you hear that the central districts sewage is smell, the guys in the city sewage say that a section of the old sewer has collapsed and the smell of some unknown and older sewer is now stinking worse than the current one and these smells are leaking out to the surface" said Files whilst his buddy nodded and asked "Yeah it was just a few hours ago just after they completely sealed off the city and blocked all the freight trains, what gives with that"?

Files scratched his chin for a moment before shrugging and saying "Extra security for Celestia or something, I don't really understand her anymore she's not acting the same way like before the attempt on her life, I mean starting the militia it gave us work and the opportunity to feed our families with food and not scraps but now I hear tales that the Royal Guard are putting their hooves through doors and rounding up curfew breakers" he said and his friend nodded and remarked "They seem to have gotten meaner, not like those new Night Guard one actually shared his sandwich with me the other day"!

These new developments were quite interesting and although I might have gotten more out of them I decided it best to sneak out via the front door and try not to ring the bell. I exited quietly as the assistant came back and made my way back onto the streets of Baltimare with more questions now than ever before.

"Curfews, hiring the poor for militia and further more aggressive Royal Guards?" it all made no sense in my mind and the only explanation was that somehow Clearwater was influencing Celestia and causing these security measures to take place.

I was really worried about all this but not as worried as to the thing they'd said about shutting down travel throughout the city because if they could close the railway station and the main gates then I supposed that the docks would no doubt have been shut down as well.

However I decided to tell this to the others first and went about looking for them. I found Pick and Soarin in matching Trench Coats which just about hid their entire bodies and end at their hooves whilst Luna was harder to find but eventually it seemed that she was all this time at a hair salon she'd found after wandering away from the dress shop and buying nothing and instead of getting a coat she had discovered an even better dye which seemed to act like paint and had her Cutie mark changed to that of a book.

I decided that I'd lecture her later about sticking to one street and not wandering off and told them all about the latest developments. "Sweet Celestia, you think the harbour has no boats?" asked Pick in a panicked tone. "I'm not saying anything but it looks like Clearwater is quite obviously planning something and with the stories about the Night Guard and the Royal Guard arising I don't really like it" I said looking across the street from the corner we were standing on as a Royal Guard Patrol went across to an old mare and upturned her purse.

"Well we can at least try to get a ship now that we're disguised "said Luna who before I could stop her went up to a stallion in a suit like mine and asked sweetly "Would you please direct us to a place where we can buy tickets for the ships"?

Obviously won over by Luna's charm the stallion offered to show us but after those kids had led us into that trap we declined and instead he gave us some crude directions which we quickly thanked him for before heading on our way.

Luna really seemed to have grown in confidence and although I would never walk up to somepony unless I really had to I was glad that somepony in our group had some diplomatic talents about them. We walked along however until we came to a ticket office where to our surprise and my concern about a hundred ponies, some bearing suitcases and small carts were standing in a circle around the Ticket Office where two Royal Guards were hammering a notice up which read:

**By Order of Princess Celestia all sea transportation is hereby suspended until it is deemed safe to re-open.**

This was obviously getting to some ponies in the crowd and one stallion yelled "How am I supposed to get to Manehatten where my wife is heavily pregnant and in need of me!" whilst another yelled "I have to deliver this for my Employer or I'm fired this isn't fair"!

The two Guards didn't look right to me and when one young stallion put a hoof on the one on the rights chest and began to demand a proper explanation they smacked him in the jaw and sent him sprawling instead o just detaining him.

This sparked uproar in the crowd and like a powder keg about to go off all it needed was a spark which to my great annoyance and worry came from Pick who yelled at the top of his lungs "They want to imprison us all and starve our families, get them"!

Although simple and not really thought out well it gave the crowd an ample excuse and they surged forward in frustration and anger and soon the two guards were overwhelmed. Although half the ponies in the crowd didn't want trouble and left the others quickly began to beat up the two guards and try and pry open the ticket office and vandalise anything they could see owned by the government of Baltimare and thus Celestia.

However the riot was taken to a new level when about ten guards from the docks came charging out of the main gates and began to try to quell the dissidents by picking them off one by one and beating them senseless. Despite the level of danger we'd created it was also one of great opportunity and I ushered for us to move into the docks undetected whilst the mob fought the guards which had been in the docks.

I led us all back to our equipment and instead of us all going to get it we got Soarin to fly over and fetch it for us instead. "What in Equestria is going on here, I thought this was an age of prosper and communication where no pony was misunderstood and our advancements in technology made us great as a nation" said Luna and I replied "You're right about the latter and would have been right about the first point had you seen this place a month ago" I told her and although she seemed to doubt me she admitted "It would seem though that the times are better than when I was Princess and the rats have certainly decreased as well".

Soarin retuned with our things and after I strapped my sword behind my back and grabbed my Saddlebag we all crept through the harbour for any ship which might be operable or which might be going somewhere last minute.

However although the guards were missing they had left the ships inoperable as we discovered upon boarding a small double sail vessel which was big enough for about ten ponies with only two small decks. "They've disabled the rudder" announced Luna as she checked the ships wheel and then looked behind at the bottom of the boat to which she announced "Scratch that, they've completely removed the rudder".

"It's hopeless, we won't get out of here and Celestia will find us by tomorrow" said Pick in anguish but I looked towards the large warehouse at the end of the harbour and announced "No…There's still one ship which will work" and with that I strode off the ship and towards the end of the harbour whilst everypony wondered what in Equestria I was talking about now and the distant shouts of the worsening riot got louder and louder.


End file.
